Added Personnel To Oversee Santa Ana River Tributaries

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors Tuesday authorized the Riverside County Park & Open Space District to extend its contract with the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District until 2029, deploying rangers along the Santa Ana River channel network to ensure spawning and foraging areas for a threatened species aren't damaged.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on the park district's agreement with the water agency, retroactive to last September and continuing until June 30, 2029.

The two entities first formed a compact in 2022, under which the park district deployed three uniformed rangers and a part-time field maintenance technician to take care of segments of the Santa Ana that tie into the Hidden Valley wetlands, Louis Rubidoux Parkland marsh and surrounding locations.

The deployment was for the benefit of the San Bernardino Municipal Valley Water District's "Upper Santa Ana River Tributaries Restoration Project," which is well underway.

The project has been aimed at safeguarding habitat for the Santa Ana sucker fish, which is native to the river and has been listed as "threatened" aquatic life on the U.S. Endangered Species Act going back a quarter century. Some area water agencies have challenged the listing in federal court, but the designation hasn't changed, despite disruptions to fresh water access stemming from the protections.

Under the new agreement between SBVMWD and the park district, the water agency will increase annual funding to ensure there are four uniformed rangers and a full-time field maintenance tech working around the tributaries on a regular basis.

The annual cost for the personnel will be $1.017 million, all of which will come from the water district, according to the agreement.

"Because of the ecological sensitivity of these sites and their proximity to developed urban areas, additional patrols and proactive management efforts are necessary to prevent damage from improper land use," the park district said. "The ongoing presence of uniformed rangers conducting patrols in marked vehicles has effectively reduced illegal dumping, unauthorized encampments, trespassing and vegetation clearing, helping to protect conservation objectives."

Improvements to riparian spaces connected to the Santa Ana involve multiple agencies, including the Riverside County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, which is upgrading the levee system.

The Santa Ana River bottom is a magnet for the homeless, who erect encampments on an ongoing basis. Brush fires and other environmental impacts are often blamed on them.