If you didn’t know any better, the Dominguez Gap Wetlands might strike you as some of Mother Nature’s handiwork–a narrow valley swathed in colorful native wildflowers, alive with birds and bees and gently swirling currents of water. And if it weren’t for the press release that was handed out when the Dominguez Gap Wetlands were dedicated Thursday morning, I sure wouldn’t have known any better. Does anybody in Southern California really know, anymore, what Mother Nature — may she rest in peace — really looked like?

The point is, the Dominguez Gap Wetlands look really good, especially squeezed between the concrete-encased Los Angeles River and a North Long Beach trailer park. And their beauty is just a fringe benefit. The main purposes of the first-of-its-kind-in-this-county project are all practical–flood control, water quality and water conservation … and a wonderful election-year photo-op for Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, who made the most of it in an enviro-green-striped tie.

“This is a great day for Los Angeles County and for its water quality partners,” Knabe told a few dozen people who got up early for the dedication and some apple-filled pastries with coffee–or so said the quotes on a press release conveniently distributed beforehand.  ”The project’s open space, water quality improvements and ground water recharge make it a cost-effective solution for addressing some of the county’s toughest regional issues.”

It seems as though Knabe did say something like that during his actual speech, but I had a hard time paying attention, what with the blue-and-yellow lupines, orange poppies, red salvia and assorted other bright colors of native plants rioting throughout the valley just over the supervisor’s shoulder.

The Dominguez Gap Wetlands is actually a renovation of two preexisting Flood Control District facilities, the difference being that it will employ natural methods–rather than mechanical ones–to control, clean and restore the stormwater and urban runoff that normally mucks up the Los Angeles River and, eventually, the ocean.

In simple terms, water is collected in spreading basins, where the plants and earth strain out pollutants–fecal coliform, nutrients, heavy metals, organic carbons, oil and grease–as it seeps into the ground. From there, the water is channeled beneath the L.A. River, to another basin, where it sinks even further into underground aquifers that replenish our freshwater supply and stop the encroachment of sea water into those supplies. where it

The 37-acres of the Dominguez Gap Wetlands can treat between 1.3 million and 3.2 million gallons of water a day, enough to supply 900 four-person families for a year. The so-called demonstration project cost $7 million and the better part of a decade to complete, but officials say the lessons learned should make it much cheaper and easier to duplicate in other areas.

Meanwhile, it’s pretty. Besides the colorful flora, the open space and native plants provide habitat for indigenous birds and bugs, not to mention hiking and equestrian trails. Yeah, it’s man made, but Mother Nature woulda loved it.

Tags: Dominguez Gap Wetlands, Flood Control District, Los Angeles River, Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe, lupines, Mother Nature, poppies, RIP, salvia