(Photo courtesy of the City of Lake Elsinore)
Mayor Bob Magee issued a public response July 14 to a petition seeking preservation of Lake Elsinore’s wetlands, saying the city remains committed to protecting the area and calling for more involvement from the state.
The petition focuses on the Four Corners area, which Magee said is a small portion of the city’s wetlands. He said the lake covers more than 3,000 acres and has a shoreline that stretches 14 miles inside the city and the county unincorporated area, along with additional shoreline near the San Jacinto River and Temescal Creek.
“Thank you to all that have signed this petition and for expressing your support for the preservation of our vital wetlands,” Magee said.
Magee highlighted steps the city has taken to address issues including trespassing and illegal dumping. He said one challenge the city faces is vacant private property near the water’s edge that can attract trespassers.
He said the city asks private property owners to authorize the removal of trespassers from their properties. Magee also pointed to a program approved by the City Council in 2013 that brought together Code Enforcement, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and homeless outreach partners to address homeless encampments, trespassing and illegal dumping.
Magee said the city has also worked to address homelessness through an Operation Home Key grant from the state, which helped fund the purchase and conversion of a former hotel on Graham Avenue into emergency housing. He said the facility provides access to medical care, counseling and other services.
Magee said the city follows up each week, and sometimes twice a week, with public works contractors to remove trespassers and trash and debris left behind. He said the city spends more than $2 million annually on these efforts, including the removal of hundreds of tons of trash, waste, inoperative vehicles and debris from sensitive habitat areas.
He also highlighted the city’s water quality improvement efforts, including routine algicide treatments, Phoslock treatments to remove phosphorus from the water and a nanobubble system that injects oxygen into the lake. He said these efforts have resulted in healthier aquatic life and increased public use, adding that the lake has not been closed due to contamination in the past two years.
Magee said the city’s efforts have received support from federal partners, including Congressman Ken Calvert, who he said dedicated $8 million toward a larger nanobubble system currently being fabricated and awarded the city an $11 million grant this year to purchase and protect nearly 1,000 acres of habitat in the North Peak area.
However, Magee said the city does not have the same partnership with the state.
“We have County Partners and Federal Partners, but we don’t have a State Partner,” Magee said.
Magee specifically called on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to become more involved in protecting the lake and surrounding habitat.
“CDFW is understaffed and overwhelmed, but that does not relieve them of their responsibility to help protect this resource,” Magee said.
Magee also criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal, which he said included the elimination of 87 CDFW positions.
“Not what you’d expect from someone who wraps himself around a green flag as a champion for the environment!” Magee said.
Magee said the city wants a stronger partnership with the state to help enforce environmental protections, including the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Clean Water Act.
“My Council Colleagues and I are not dismissing our responsibility, on the contrary, we will continue to devote all the resources we can to preserve and protect our wetlands, including the Four Corners area,” Magee said.
Magee encouraged residents to report illegal activity and said the petition could help create a stronger partnership between the city and state.
“My Council Colleagues and I stand ready to embrace a new partnership with the State,” Magee said. “Perhaps your petition can be the tool to make that happen.”
