Edition:
January 21, 2005
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Meetings held to discuss water qualityBy Carolyn Knight
The Friday Flyer Editor
Canyon Lakers will be relieved to know that concrete steps are finally being taken to deal with the problems of water quality here. As residents are aware, each time substantial rainstorms occur, run-off from this area’s 700-mile watershed wind up in Canyon Lake. Of special concern is the septic run-off from neighboring Quail Valley.
Last week, a meeting was held among representatives of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, the City of Canyon Lake and the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to discuss the history of this community’s run-off problems.
With more development in the watershed area, and especially in Quail Valley where as many as 50 new homes are being built and placed on septic systems, the problem could continue to escalate if not addressed now.
Monthly meetings will be held specifically to discuss and offer solutions to Canyon Lake’s water quality problems. The next is scheduled for February 10 in Riverside. Besides those who attended the first meeting, this as well as future meetings will include representatives from the POA, the Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) and Supervisor Jeff Stone’s office.
Happy that the County and State are finally paying attention to Canyon Lake’s water quality, the City’s Sr. Special Enforcement Officer Bob Bohan says their cooperation is essential to solving the problems here. “The City and the POA have no jurisdiction over other agencies or over communities upstream,” he says. By addressing the problem with those who can assert some pressure and clout, solutions are more likely to be found, Bob says.
Those solutions won’t be easy, he admits. With aging homes and unmaintained septic systems in Quail Valley as well as additional septic tanks being installed for the new development there, the problem seems almost insurmountable. It is not easy to pinpoint the exact locations of the worst offending septic tanks, Bob says. It is unusual that raw sewage is evident at the location from which it is emanating. Instead, it flows underground and ends up in drains that, in turn, end up in the lake.
The best solution would be to mandate that residents in Quail Valley tie into a sewer system – either Canyon Lake’s or another nearby community’s system. Another option would be strict enforcement that would require regular pumping of the septic tanks.
Currently, Bob, as well as representatives from EVMWD and the Health Department, all are taking frequent water samples to monitor the lake’s quality. With contaminated water still flowing in from various sources, the lake could be closed to body contact for sometime. In recent months, Bob says, the lake has been closed more frequently and for longer periods after each storm.
However, Bob says that Canyon Lakers should not equate the brown color of the water with bacteria. Sediment has caused the discoloration, he says, adding that clear water can sometimes be contaminated and, conversely, water turned cloudy because of sediment can be free of bacteria.
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