Disputed
Land Problematic Land the county is considering for a potential settlement
with Upland builder Colonies Partners LP lies within special flood-hazard
zones where land cannot be developed without costly protective measures.
"This is a public map,' said Doug Hamilton, who has documented local flood-control weaknesses for San Bernardino County, the state Department of Water Resources and the National Academy of Sciences. "There should be some accounting in any appraisal for the flood zones, in spite of the fact there are two flood-control basins there.' No one with the county could say Tuesday whether the hazard information on the FEMA map has been included in two ongoing appraisals of the land below Deer Canyon and Day Canyon. County officials did not know when the appraisals will be completed, spokesman David Wert said. Although the map shows that the land in question, just north of Rancho Cucamonga, lies within flood zones, public-works officials say the land isn't needed for flood control. Twelve weeks after flood-control officials began seeking a price tag for the land, county Public Works Director Pat Mead said Tuesday the FEMA map is valid. Mead also said the county Flood Control District does not need the land for construction of regional flood-control facilities. Rancho Cucamonga officials have said repeatedly over the past 2 months that they want to annex the land to retain it as open space for flood-control mitigation and groundwater recharge. No one from the county had contacted Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Bill Alexander as of Tuesday. "Of course there's a public-safety concern here,' Alexander said. "All the studies have shown we need this land to protect our community. I haven't seen any studies that say otherwise. We're looking forward to an explanation from the county about what their intent is.' Public-safety concerns below Deer Canyon and Day Canyon, two of the largest, steepest mountain watersheds in San Bernardino County, have drawn renewed scrutiny from the state's two senators this month. Lack of consensus among scientists from local, state and federal agencies regarding the size and safety of the Deer Canyon basin has confounded Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both D-Calif., who four years ago pushed for a study that eventually cost $250,000. Scientists representing homeowners, the state and Ontario International Airport concluded in 2002 the basin is dangerously undersized. Army Corps of Engineers officials in Los Angeles, who designed and built the basin, say the structure is adequate. On Aug. 15, Feinstein and Boxer called on the Corps' commanding general, Carl A. Strock, to evaluate the full range of possible threats to public safety flooding below Deer Canyon. Strock has not returned repeated messages seeking comment. District officials said in June and July the land is no longer needed because of flood-control channels completed in the 1980s. FEMA's flood-insurance rate map for the area, completed in 1996, shows the channels. District officials have updated the FEMA map three times since March 2001. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved spending about $2million on emergency flood-control repairs and upgrades in Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario and Highland. They also approved retaining a law firm to represent the Flood Control District in a dispute stemming from a sand and gravel company's lease in the Deer Creek Spreading Grounds. The lease overlaps the 1,137 acres the county is appraising, but the dispute is not related to the appraisal, county officials said.
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