Los Angeles’ Mother Ditch

A construction worker examines a section of the Zanja Madre, or Mother Ditch, uncovered during excavation for a development in Chinatown.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

When first created in 1781, the Zanja Madre was an open ditch fed by a small dam built on the L.A. River. Because of health concerns, it was enclosed in 1877 and finally abandoned in 1904.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Construction worker Carlos Andrade searches for bricks stamped with the name of the brick provider on a section of Los Angeles’ first municipal water system.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Officials said a 40-foot section of the Zanja Madre would be removed from the Blossom Plaza site Saturday and preserved for future display.   (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

An old bottle found with a section of Los Angeles’ first municipal water system discovered by workers excavating the site of a $100-million Chinatown development. The cross-section view shows the double layers of brick that made up the pipe.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Workers will use a vacuum to remove sediment from the brick Zanja Madre and carefully lift it out of the ground with a crane before taking it by flatbed truck to be preserved.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)