Water in Los Angeles: It’s complicated

In Los Angeles, we pray for rain most of the year. But only for a manageable amount in the winter months. And never after a big wildfire, when downpours can dislodge weakened hillsides and produce dangerous debris flows.

In other words, our relationship with water is complicated. The fickle rivers that long ago served as our primary water sources are now the concrete-lined channels shunting much of the atmospheric river torrent safely into the ocean. But when the rain stops and doesn’t start again for months, we’ll miss that water.

And so the debate over what Los Angeles should do with stormwater rages on, as it has in the past and will continue as climate change takes hold.

— Paul Thornton, letters editor