REGENCY HERITAGE PARK MORPHING INTO OPEN CHANNEL A

After reviewing the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report for Lakeland Village Master Drainage Plan available at http://www.floodcontrol.co.riverside.ca.us/, bottom of the page under Public Notices (CEQA/Section 18).
One can only wonder what is in store for the future of Regency Heritage Park.

Why is the City of Wildomar continuing to spend money on what is over time being transformed into a real flood control channel.

This park started life as a parcel of land dedicated as open space and drainage easement that was dedicated in April of 1992. The easement exist even without the dedication because this is a natural low spot in the topography of the area.

This parcel was subsequently acquired by Ortega Trails Recreation and Park District for use as a park. In the following years, 2005 and 2008, several drainage programs were completed adding to the runoff from the surrounding area that now flows through this park.

Terminus of Sedo-Bryant Street Storm Drain Stage 1 Completed 2008

Terminus of Sedo-Bryant Street Storm Drain Stage 1 Completed 2008


Sedco-Bryant Street Storm Drain which begins in the hills west of the park.

Sedco-Bryant Street Storm Drain which begins in the hills west of the park.


Unnamed Storm Drain that directs flow from Palomar Street east of the park

Unnamed Storm Drain that directs flow from Palomar Street east of the park

A portion of this drainage issue was addressed by the County of Riverside EDA when they rebuilt this park in 2007-08 as part of the rehabilitation of 4 parks in the area (Marna O’Brien, Perret Park, Regency Heritage and Windsong).

Current 10 foot wide Channel that runs complete length of the  park

Current 10 foot wide Channel that runs complete length of the park

The county added a drainage channel which collects water from three drainage facilities and guides it through the park. What the county failed to do was to continue this channel all the way to Corydon where it would tie into an existing facility that takes it under Corydon and on to the back basin of the Lake at Elsinore. This failure creates a lake at the south end of the park whenever it rains.

The terminus at the north end of the park of the current channel

The terminus at the north end of the park of the current channel


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Both the County of Riverside and the City of Wildomar also have failed in maintaining their MS4 systems (Storm Drains) which allows for enormous amounts of sediment and trash to collect at the current downstream terminus of these storm drains.

From the bridge in park looking south towards terminus of 3 drains

From the bridge in park looking south towards terminus of 3 drains


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That problem is about to be partially resolved by what is known as “Proposed Open Channel A” in the Lakeland Village Master Drainage Plan. The upstream origin of Channel A begins at the downstream terminus of Sedco-Bryant Street Storm Drain Stage 1. From there, the 40 ft wide by 6 ft deep trapezoidal channel extends westerly along the geographic low. At Corydon Road, the trapezoidal channel transitions into a 42 ft wide by 6 ft deep RCB. The 42 ft wide by 6 ft deep RCB would replace the existing 42 ft wide by 4 ft deep RCB. This Channel will be 1573 feet long, which takes it from the southeast end of the park to Corydon. It will have a 100 years flood capacity of 1,115 Cubic Feet a Second. (This is the same capacity as the outflow channel of the Lake at Elsinore.)

As a final note this may be the reason the City of Wildomar has never filed the Grant Deed for this property as it is still shown to be the property of Ortega Trails Recreation and Park District even though the County issued this Grant Deed on June 22, 2009.

Grant Deed issued June 22,2009 by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors

Grant Deed issued June 22,2009 by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors

3 thoughts on “REGENCY HERITAGE PARK MORPHING INTO OPEN CHANNEL A

  1. WildomarWatcher

    From the photo in the article, it sure doesn’t look like this Park will be ready to open any time soon, and from the information in the newly published Lakeland Village Master Drainage Plan it would also seem that it would be a poor decision to continue to spend additional time energy and money on this so-called Park. It’s primary purpose is to assist with flood control, and maybe it should be left at that…

    Reply
  2. Kenny Mayes

    This park is definitely a long way from re-opening as it took a crew of a half a dozen people several days to remove about 100 feet of sediment, partially restoring part of the channel. There is still leaves about 900 feet of channel left to clean. There is a plan for an eagle scout project to do work on the dog park but I don’t know why anyone would bother until the City of Wildomar explains what the future of this park is going to be (Did the City of Wildomar objected to this channel during the comment period for the Drafting of this Master Plan, have not located anything yet) . The current channel is 10 feet wide and the Lakeland Village plan for Open Channel A calls for a 42 foot wide channel, which pretty encompasses a large portion of the flat area of the park. Even if left as it is without the City of Wildomar and Riverside County Flood Control maintaining their MS-4 systems this park will be buried in sediment every time it rains.
    The current situation is eerily similar to what is proposed for the McVicar St. area along the Murrieta Creek. No Parking, Inundated with every storm, left covered in sediment and no money to clean it up properly.

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  3. Pingback: Good Idea, Bad Plan | Wildomar Connected

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