City of Lake Elsinore Proposes to Flush Downtown Riverwalk Down a Drain

The City of Lake Elsinore, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and the Riverside County Flood Control District are proposing to divert the recycled water flows away from the Downtown Riverwalk (Outlet Channel) and into an underground drainage pipe to prevent growth of aquatic vegetation and to allegedly, send flows directly to Lake Elsinore to reduce evaporative loss of the recycled water.

In my 20-years as City's Director of the Lake & Aquatic Resources Department this is the dumbest project I've heard proposed. Most cities would celebrate a meandering stream through their downtown to enhance the beauty, develop riparian habitat, and spur economic development along such a unique aquatic feature. You would think that at least the City and EVMWD would realize the potential for this resource, especially since they pay $1,400,000 per year for this recycled water. Using the recycled water for multiple benefits of Lake supplementation, aesthetic, riparian habitat and economic development is the best and highest use for this resource to convey water to the Lake.

Just consider what the cities of San Luis Obispo and Ashland, Oregon (Litha Park) have done to enhance their downtowns with a similar stream of water. See the attached pictures above. In contrast, our leaders are proposing to flush this opportunity literally down the drain, as proposed by City Manager Yates to the City Council on Tuesday (8/23) at the weblink below.

City Manager Yates Staff Report

The solution to the problem of excessive growth of aquatic vegetation in the channel can easily be resolved by properly Aquascaping the channel to limit desired growth of wetland type plants where you want them. In my opinion, City Manager Yates and engineers have mischaracterised the problems, failed to detail the scope of alleged problems and failed to propose creative use of this unique resource. It's typical for Riverside Flood Control District to turn streams into barren concrete flood channels devoid of life, but I'm at a loss to understand why the City Administration would help fund such a destructive project.

The Outlet Channel along the Downtown Riverwalk is really a finger of the Lake. I should know, as I personally worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to establish the natural lakebed at an elevation of 1,255-Ft above mean sea level (NGVD29). When the Lake-level reaches this elevation it slowly begins to overflow to Temescal Wash. No floodwaters are conveyed from Lake Elsinore below this 1,255' aMSL elevation. Furthermore, Lake Elsinore rarely overflows, which means this channel is available 99% of the time to be used as a great amenity for the community's Downtown Riverwalk. Aquascaping this channel below 1,255'aMSL elevation will not impede the flows from infrequent floodwaters out of Lake Elsinore.

City Manager Yates and engineers also cite the loss of recycled water to evaporation before it reaches Lake Elsinore as a big problem. That's nonsense for two reasons. First, the recycled water is already directly conveyed to the natural lakebed of Lake Elsinore as defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Secondly, the volume of alleged evaporative loss of recycled water during its meandering through the Downtown is insignificant compared to the 9,000 gallons per minute lost every minute of the year on average from Lake Elsinore itself.

Sending recycled water down a buried drain pipe and away from the multiple benefits associated with an improved Downtown Riverwalk is a foolish solution to the easily solvable problem of excess growth of cattails. This recycled water is bought and paid for by the community at the tune of $1.4-million per year, so it should serve multiple benefits wherever possible. If the City Council approves this preposterous project, it will forever undermine the vision for the Downtown Riverwalk.

Pat Kilroy, resident