O'Hara v. Los Angeles County Flood Control District

TRAYNOR, J. —

Plaintiffs are the owners of certain land in Los Angeles County near the Los Angeles River. The Los Angeles County Flood Control District replaced the low permeable dikes that bordered the river with concrete levees, and constructed a concrete embankment running at right angles to the levees away from the river. These improvements, constructed for the purpose of flood control, increased the velocity of the water flowing in the river by preventing it from spreading out over adjoining lands, and obstructed che drainage of surface waters into the river. The only provision for…