Tongva Sacred Springs

Tongva Sacred Springs
Native name
Koruuvanga (Tongva)
LocationUniversity High School, Los Angeles
Coordinates34°02′44″N 118°27′40″W / 34.0456°N 118.461°W / 34.0456; -118.461
Reference no.522

The Tongva Sacred Springs are a group of springs located on the campus of University High School in Los Angeles, California.[1] The springs, called Koruuvanga[2] by the native Gabrieleno Tongva people, were used as a source of natural fresh water by the Tongva people since at least the 5th century BC and continue to produce 22,000–25,000 US gallons (83,000–95,000 L) of water a day.[3] The springs are also sometimes referred to as the Gabrieleno-Tongva Springs, the Tongva Holy Springs, and the Sacred Springs. (The deprecated toponym Serra Springs was for Catholic missionary Junípero Serra who supposedly said mass at the site in 1770.)[4]

The springs are found at two separate locations on the campus. The larger group of springs is closed off from the rest of the campus and is under the care of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation. For many years this area was referred to as the "horticultural" or "agricultural area" of the campus.[5] This group includes an "80 sq ft (7.4 m2) lagoon."[6] The other spring "feeds into a charming man-made waterfall" at the northeastern edge of the upper athletic field.[5] A third spring was located farther north, near Texas Avenue, but it ceased to flow during the 1940s when a local water company began drawing from the aquifer.[7] Water from all of the extant springs drains into the Santa Monica Bay.[5]

VIDEO: Spring vent at the sandy bottom of one of the Tongva springs
  1. ^ California State Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County Archived 2007-04-03 at the Wayback Machine at CERES
  2. ^ Greene, Sean; Curwen, Thomas (May 9, 2019). "Mapping the Tongva villages of L.A.'s past". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Motion (Department of Transportation) for installion of ceremonial street signs
  4. ^ Hoover, Mildred Brooke; Rensch, Hero Eugene; Rensch, Ethel Grace; Abeloe, William N. (revision) (1966). Historic Spots in California (3rd ed.). Stanford University Press. p. 146.
  5. ^ a b c Cray, Dan (March 13, 1994). "Plugging the Leak: Campus Spring Water Seen as Untapped Resource". Los Angeles Times. p. WS3. ProQuest 1973844031.
  6. ^ Shibuya, Scott (September 15, 1994). "Troubled Waters: Development: Plans to build an apartment complex near an ancient spring have created a rift between Native Americans and environmentalists". Los Angeles Times. p. WS3. ProQuest 1973121227.
  7. ^ The Chieftain (Yearbook), 1974 ed.