Housing market shows glimmer of hope
September 21, 2010
Why the new housing numbers likely aren’t a fluke, but a sign of the start of a housing comeback.
Posted by Nin-Hai Tseng, reporter CNN MONEY
September 21, 2010 11:03 am
No doubt the housing market is still in turmoil, but signs today signal that it could be stabilizing.
Housing starts in August unexpectedly rose to their highest level in four months, the U.S. Commerce Department announced today. The 10.5% increase, reflecting a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 598,000 units, is the biggest rise in housing starts since last November. What’s more, permits for residential construction also rose. Following a 4.1% drop in July, new building permits rebounded 1.8% to a 569,000-unit pace in August.
The housing market is still far from recovery and and foreclosures stemming from the fallout of the financial crisis will surely keep happening, but the August figures are telling. This is especially so since the August figures follows the April expiration of a federal tax credit for homebuyers that basically propped up demand. (And it’s worth noting that though some homeowners may be in technical foreclosure, banks are having a difficult time repossessing properties and kicking people out, due to the laxity with which they wrote boom-era mortgages. That too could be limiting the number of existing homes on the market.)
The August figures also follow Fortune’s look at the bullish take on the housing market, which featured a paper by economist Bill Wheaton at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Real Estate. Wheaton more than acknowledges the grave troubles of real estate amid high unemployment and the unknown number of foreclosure that could follow in the near future. But when the housing market comes back, he says, it will do so in a big way, contributing to GDP growth at levels unseen during recoveries of most previous recessions.
It’s anyone’s guess what the housing market will look like year from now, but Wheaton says demand should return to pre-recession levels by 2011 and much of the excess inventory should be absorbed by 2013. The economist argues that residential investment is currently historically low and trails behind demand. Because of this, the inevitable housing comeback will be a strong one as residential construction catches up with demand. And we just may be seeing the leading edge of it in the figures released today.
The average Californian awakes to fresh warm running water while showering daily in our modern bathrooms. Upon showering we never stop to realize just how much infrastructure has gone into getting that water we are enjoying and expect at any time of the day. Growth and demands put upon our limited resource of water is a critical issue today as record growth and expansion has dominated the landscape. Beaumont, California faces an expected growth within city limits of an additional 26,557 additional water connections upon an existing system in place. Record drought has also has been taken into account for the need in recharging of ground water aquifers.
It is only the actions within the last decade that recharging and successful utilization of detention ponds and retention basins that has put ground water quality and conservation on the front page of our mindsets as planners. Planning as well as the science of recharging of ground water has become an urban infrastructure component that many could only imagine about 20 years ago. The rapid growth of population within California and the need of quality ground water recharging facilities have put planning hand in hand with science that will produce change and positive outcomes into the future.
Growth & Demand
Beaumont’s need for water is critical as developers have fueled growth within the area during the last housing boom. Tract upon new tract and commercial zones need more potable water than ever before. While the area enjoyed a healthly farm lifestyle till the 1950s, the needs today are for more residential as the land cost within Beaumont is far lower than in the Los Angeles Region. While the city itself needs an additional 26,000 additional connects this does not take into account neighboring areas within unincorporated county limits. With adding nearly an additional 50% more usage upon the Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District, the implementation of a gray water system and of quality ground water recharging facilities is essential to future development within the Pass Region1.
Almost 19 million people call Southern California home. A population largely supported by imported water is no way to sustain life within one of the most popular regions within the United States. Coming up with a system that helps to retain water and recharge ground water will only help support growth into the future. As in many infrastructure projects, the scale of quantities can be a difficult objective number to get a good understanding of. Bringing that number down to a human scale is something more tangible for us to understand. The average bath tub size is 50 gallons within our homes. Per person we use 235 gallons per day or roughly 4.7 bath tubs of water per day in California’s urban residential areas2. Here in California we’re experiencing a wide range of water challenges. The changing rain patterns and drought, low snowpack, decreases in river flows, severe declines in populations of important fish species such as salmon and the Delta smelt, and rising sea levels in the San Francisco Bay that will likely to lead to saltwater mixing with fresh water resources. Even though we see how these numbers relate to us, we need to also bring into account the national issues also impacting water levels.
National Perspective
Almost every state in the U.S. is facing water challenges. In 2003 the General Accounting Office released a study that found that 36 states anticipate serious water shortages in the future – and that number doesn’t even include the states that didn’t respond – California, Nevada, New Mexico and Michigan – some of the states that face the most significant challenges. When we think about water scarcity we normally think about the southwest – but issues have arisen in unanticipated areas. In the south water has typically been abundant – but now Florida, Fulton County in Georgia and North Carolina are all scrambling to find ways to increase conservation and improve efficiency. The northeast is struggling with widespread water contamination issues. Water levels in the Great Lakes are falling. At the same time bordering states are struggling with invasive species such as the Zebra Mussel that clog pipes and damage water intake and treatment infrastructure. Farmers on the Great Plains, who rely on water from the vast Ogallala Aquifer, are beginning to see their wells dry up.3
Today many aquifers are in a state where more water than is being used then can be naturally replaced by normal ground water absorption. This is often times referred as in a state of overdraft4. This constant lack of replenishment can have very negative consequences for future generation as water will become more and more difficult to obtain as lake and river levels are dropping.
Planning Science
It is important to note that aside from actually recharging the ground with new water or treated water, some of our everyday current land uses at times already can pollute water quality. Land uses such as contaminant plumes, dry cleaners, underground storage tanks, septic systems, gas stations, historic waste dumps / landfills, and sewer collection are all land uses that can and do contaminate ground water5. This is not to say that all of these land uses are negative to the environment, yet we need to be aware that some of our needed land uses do already have an impact upon ground water quality.
In many cases, recharge facilities take up many acres and cost a lot of capital improvement that cities or water districts do not have. Often times these facilities are funded by new development as in Beaumont and Orange County Water Authority. Basins and recharge facilities can run from as small as about 20 acres to as large as a city or water district wants within their given projects areas. The cost of development however is the most important and difficult portion to overcome. The Coachella Valley Water District has numerous projects in process that range from estimated cost to construct from $40 to $63 million6. At the end of the day this is a cost but a cost that will be less then imported water in the future as along as ground water aquifers stay within normal levels.
The Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District recharge and retention basins only collect runoff water and bring in new imported water for recharge and reuse. Their runoff that is collected is utilized for non-potable and only a portion of this is recycled water is recharged and is filtered. Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District does however utilize fresh imported water from the Colorado River as part of its recharging process which is then used as part of their potable water supply. The Orange County Water Authority does utilize a portion of imported water however, majority of their recharge water was been transformed from raw sewer water to potable water within one day of reaching their facilities7. Beaumont’s water for recharge has never been in a state where it is in raw sewer form.
When land uses can potentially hurt water quality this is something to always note. “Hydrus numerical model was used to determine the increased in water table elevation, and it assess the potential for treated wastewater ponding and groundwater mounding in treated wastewater…8” Often times using modeling is the only way that water districts will see potential impacts upon water tables as well as water sheds within their given areas. Modern computer modeling has only helped with better site locations and studying ground water contamination. Beaumont has been faced with water quality issues with Cherry Valley’s septic systems that are over 100 years old getting into and impacting ground water wells. Computer modeling has helped with systemically shutting down old wells as predicted by computer modeling with regard to ground well contamination. Regionally water is a difficult thing to put boundaries around as water is liquid and does move and is not a fixed commodity such as land.
When the need to assist with water reclamation and possible reuse of water “…groundwater recharge basins [helps] enable …to fully recycle Class A reclaimed water throughout the year.9” Class A would be defined as tertiary effluent conditioned water. This helps to recharge depleted water tables and replenished a valued resource. Unlike cutting down a forest for use of lumber, water is recharged and can then be used at a later date or shortly thereafter for consumption.
“…as of the year 2000, the Southern Nevada Water Authority entities have recharged over 246,000,000 m[sup 3] (200,000 acre-ft) of water, which is in storage in the valley’s aquifer system. Benefits from artificial recharge accrue to all valley residents, but in particular to municipal-industrial, domestic, public supply, and commercial well owners. The benefits are lower energy costs for pumping, decreased need to deepen wells, lower maintenance for wells that could potentially be damaged by subsidence, and additional water for the aquifer system.10”
While the United States has experienced only recharging within the last decade, Australia has faced recharging for the last three decades. The largest thing that has negatively faced the country with ground water recharging has been the replacement of deep-rooted native vegetation with now pasture and annual crops11. The water available within the country has changed so much that water is more available than ever before. As the further development of recharging occurs it is important to note that “In environments with shallow ground water elevation, small changes in the water table can cause significant variations in recharge and evapotranspiration fluxes. Particularly, where ground water is close to the soil surface, both recharge and evapotranspiration are regulated by a thin unsaturated zone and, for accuracy, must be represented using nonconstant and often nonlinear relationships.12” This is where modeling and proper environment control falls upon our scientific community. As planners we don’t have the technical knowhow to ensure that proper infrastructure is placed in appropriate locations.
Smaller scale recharge and reuse would be “A project planned for the west of Malibu Creek [which] will include a whole foods market, restaurant, and 2 retail stores, for which a reclamation plant has been designed to handle wastewater generated on the site, graywater will be sent to a series of 3 settling tanks before being dispersed via a subsurface drip irrigation system or a pressure dosed leach field.13” While large scale capital improvement projects maybe an important regional issue, on a project level planners can work to ensure projects are not only designed well but also have a positive impact upon the environmental water conservation. Change in planning departments with better utilization of bio-swells and detentions basins as muli-use facilities is the wave of the future. In this case this project helps to cut back in runoff and also help with irrigation as though the project is off of the water grid as reused water can take care of all landscape needs. Potable water would only need to be used inside of the retail spaces.
Some areas within the United States have taken a more systemic approach to helping with their water problems. Traditionally gray water was not saved rather it would be discharged into lakes, rivers and or the ocean. Districts such as these today like LOTT in the Northwest have taken their demands of growth and put their run off back into the ground. This is more similar to Beaumont then to the Orange County facility. While this task may seem easy to complete, land purchasing and locations need to occur in addition to determining soil conditions, funding, and overall needed capacities need to be explored over time. LOTT’s approach has been to take things one step at a time. Through their lobbying efforts, they have been able to change laws and ultimately creating a reclamation and recharge water district. Their efforts have put water supply back into good levels with new expected growth demands for their given district areas.
Expected Outcome & Change
While planners and the scientific community have made advances for water recharging, this has been done to meet the demands of our water hunger. However, regulation of consumption has also helped with curbing water demands. California State Assembly passed AB2175 – a water conservation bill that aims to reduce California’s per person water use by 20%.
Require a 20% reduction in statewide urban water use per capita by 2020 and establish specific savings targets for each urban water agency. Reduce the target for those agencies that have already implemented specific water conservation best management practices or that already have low per capita water use. Require the Department of Water Resources to set a target for agricultural water efficiency. Require agricultural water suppliers to identify their cost-effective water conservation potential and adopt 5 and 10 year numeric water savings targets. Make compliance with these requirements a condition for receiving state water management grants or loans.14
While growth has continued, many water districts are using this to their advantage. Districts charge for developers each time a new water connection is needed. These funds are then utilized to ensure that the system will be strong and can combat issues in the future. Planning new recharge facilities is a trend that will carry fringe cities into development well into the future. It is important to note that fringe cities also need to be sure “Water you can bank on” is addressed when districts save water on wet years as at that time we can fill ground water aquifers instead of letting that water go towards the ocean. We bank the wet times for time times that are dry so that our ground water can support water needs in times of drought and low recharge capabilities.
Saving and creating water for the future is important. The urban evolution is a mixed process with planning and science mixed to form new technologies. Ground water recharging facilities will be put in place to ensure that communities facing growth can take on new populations. While importation of water has been a model in place in Southern California for years, it is time for local water reserves to do their part in cutting down dependence from Northern California and other sources.
While modeling of water tables and potential water sources is important, we need to also understand that putting back into our water resource is important. The replenishment with water back into aquifers is like re planting of forests that were once cut down. However, the cost associated with this can be great yet at the end of the day water is a basic needed component to sustain life.
Thomas Fuller in 1732 once said “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” Today our wells may look and function a little different, yet the principles of water needs to life still exist. Water is something that is needed by all and the recharging of ground water only helps sustain life into the future. In combination with laws that help to regulate conservation, out future today is brighter by every gallon put back into the ground below us. The rapid growth of population within California and the need of quality ground water recharging facilities have put planning hand in hand with science that will produce change and positive outcomes into the future.
The gentle sound of water hitting rocks along a riverbed is how the original people of Los Angeles were attracted and settled along the rivers and streams of the greater Los Angeles Basin. Today a water shortage with the demands of a growing population has put the environment and human needs in a state of emergency. New technology and conservation efforts have played a huge role in furthering the cause and creation of detention basins and retention ponds throughout the region. Funding and construction of a valued infrastructure component has been a cost like many improvements are within a given city. A fringe city such as Beaumont nearly 85 miles east or one hour and twenty-five minutes from downtown Los Angeles has created the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District Recreational Park and Recharge Facility. Saving and creating high quality water through detention basins and retention ponds is the way we can ensure continued growth demands put upon water facilities.
From the 1970s to present day, California has been educated about water conservation. There have been media sounds bits that warn of rationing from time to time. “The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California issued a water alert…asking communities to modernize and toughen their water conservation rules…warned that mandatory rations could go into effect throughout the district next summer if the region’s 19 million or so urban residents did not cut back” (Cathcart). Yet as these requests for reductions take place, Southern California is growing year by year. Beaumont’s population growth from 2000 to 2008 has had a 186.9% change from 11,384 to 32,633 residents.
Beaumont faces an expected growth within city limits of an additional 26,557 additional water connections upon an existing system in place. This does not take into account neighboring areas within unincorporated county limits. With adding nearly an additional 50% more usage upon the Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District, the implementation of a recharge facility is critical to the growth of the city. “Water shortage leads to increasing attention to artificial groundwater recharge by reclaimed water,” (2010), yet every step towards water conservation is a move in the right direction. The facility is a recycled gray water detention, recharge, distribution, and retention project with detention basins and retention filtration ponds and that will serve as part of a five phase project to increase water supply for the city.
Globally, “Water use has grown by over sixfold during this century, more than twice the rate of population increase, and already a number of regions are chronically water-short . . . 5.7 billion in 1995 to 8.3 billion in 2025… About 40% of the world’s population has a serious lack of water,” (McGregor). In both growing cities and countries, the demand for water supply is a growing concern. Current mode of supply can not continue to supply the demanded into the future. “Parts of the USA are facing impending shortages of fresh water,” (Yuhas). This is where the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District Recreational Park and Recharge Facility comes into play. ” To increase the reliability of water supply, the artificial recharge of groundwater basins is becoming increasingly important where conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources is considered. Among the several sources of available water for groundwater recharge–which includes direct precipitation, flood or other surplus water, imported water, and reclaimed water,” (Asano).
The Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District is deep ingrained within the San Gorgonio Pass Area . Dating back to 1896, the district has seen the area exploded with growth and has lasted the test of time. In the late 1880s the first development tract plans came into being with that is today downtown Beaumont. It is due to the forecast of development that the water district grew and is still facing the same conditions today with new specific plans approved for additional residential development, it is only time before the city faces water shortages. It was not until 1919 when the district as we know it today was formed. Prior to 1919, the district was exchanged, sold, and was too young to face political pressure from near by Redlands.
In the 1920s and 1930s the district explored watersheds and wells sites with drilling over 35 wells. The 1960s through the 1980s, the district began to note a large shift in water consumption. The need irrigate crop lands subsided while the need for domestic usage went up district wide. The growth rate has been steady until the last decade when the housing boom came into Beaumont’s back door. Beaumont was host to vistas and affordable quality neighborhoods people were seeking within the region.
A historical water storage facility of quality drinking water has been in place since 1935. The first storage unit next to the drilling site of well 1 was an example set for the rest of the well sites. Before anyone could note well water levels had dropped due to the high amount of storage throughout the district. It was not until the late 1980s when the district took action of the water shortage the city would face with anticipated growth rates. The district consistently pressured with growth demands from the start, is currently host to 23 wells sites and 13 reservoirs throughout the pass area.
In 2001 the district began test drilling for a Recharge Project located at Noble Creek and Brookside Ave. A well was dug to a depth of 1,500 feet below the ground. This is the deepest that the district had dug and the deepest anyone in the Pass area had dug on record. This test well is currently a production well generating to 2,800 gallons per minute. Even though a well as deep as this could exist, the district began to look at recycling water from the Beaumont waste water plant.
Typically, “Treatment of storm-water [and recycled water] may be necessary before discharge to surface waters,” (Takamatsu). However, waste waters were seen a valued asset. With the help of the city, the district began planning for a new water system that would run next to existing potable water throughout the district. Commonly known as purple piping, the duel water coverage would help with the water demands of landscaping and golf facilities that the area is host to. Extra water not use would then be recharged into the ground aquifers.
The explosive growth of new development that has occurred in Beaumont is how the recycled water system has been built. 85% of the system is built and anticipated project completion was for 2010. Due to the newer system, the technology in place is cutting edge and does not have to face major retrofitting as many older detention basins prior to 1990 are facing.
Many detention basins built before 1990 are not equipped with storm-water quality control device. With the latest developments in low impact development for storm-water management, these existing detention basins need modifications on their outlet structures to increase on-site runoff treatment and disposal. An outlet shall be designed to have, at least, three levels of release, including water quality release over 12–48 h, low flow release for 10-year event, and 100-year high flow release. All these efforts are to aim at the full spectrum runoff treatment that is not only to capture the minor and major events but also to store microevents, ( Guo, Retrofitting)
Detention basins and retention ponds have become a more common urban fabric imprint. The need for multi-use capabilities has been given solid planning and environmental concern. Rather then large holes in the ground these areas can serve as recreational and community enhancements opportunities. Detention basins and retention ponds “…consists of pipes and box culvert sections with a specialized inlet and outlet system. This system can be placed below grade near the roadway section as part of the conventional drainage system and does not require additional right-of-way,” (Takamatsu). In this case the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District Recreational Park and Recharge Facility has a dedicated site that is responsible for nearly half of all gray water runoff collection and retention. Supply for nearly half of all recycled water for the city of Beaumont will also come from this site at the corner of Beaumont Ave. and Cherry Valley. A future plan takes an additional facility on the south side of the city for more improvements to help with further gray water dentition and replenishment. In close proximity to Palm Springs, this recharge system is one that the desert communities are interested in potentially modeling in the future.
In addition to supporting the districts water needs, the areas should have cohesive design and urban integration within communities. However water quality is paramount in that the “… Federal Clean Water Act, porous landscaping detention has been widely used to increase on-site infiltration. A [detention / recharge] system consists of a surface storage basin and subsurface filtering layers. The major design parameters for a [detention / recharge] system are the infiltration rate on the land surface and the seepage rate through the subsurface medium,” (Guo, J. Design). It is with the combined landscape that the Recreational Park and Recharge Facility is also able to add atheistic value to the community at large. The landscaped areas also help with filtration and provide for habitat to live naturally around the retention ponds.
It is important to note that water quality of detention basins and retention ponds face in the wake of water quality. “Infiltration of storm water through detention and retention basins may increase the risk of groundwater contamination, especially in areas where the soil is sandy and the water table shallow, and contaminants may not have a chance to degrade or sorbs onto soil particles before reaching the saturated zone,” (Fischer). Recharging of deep district wells and integration of recycled water for use to irrigate can be perceived to cause water contamination for the potable water of the district. “Storm water runoff is perceived as a major source of pollutants that result in adverse environmental effects, but large-scale assessments are rarely conducted. The problem is particularly pronounced in southern California.” (Ackerman). The good in storm water is that is can be filtered and reused as recycled water.
It is important to note the “The majority of mass emission were from urbanized watersheds except for suspended solids, total DDT, and chloryrifos. Agricultural areas had the greatest fluxes for pesticides, including totally DDT, and chlorypyrifos while open areas typically had the smallest,” (Ackerman). Beaumont as a city within the district would be right in the middle of this study. Vast open space and suburban development blanket the city. Full facility recharging has not occurred due to the full construction and completion of the facility at this time, only 25% of the facility is at full operational capability. While there have been “Reports on the negative impact of groundwater recharge on water supply quality, according to a study conducted in California,” (Christen), Beaumont’s water quality does not seem to be impacted at this time.
In the early 1920s, the district began to establish recharge facilities in the canyons to reclaim ground water. It was not until 2000 when the district began to look at recharging of storm water and surplus of recycled water back into aquifers. The combination of storm water and rain fall was taken into consideration. A two year study took a look in determining if recharging was a viable process. Holes were made to determine if the proposed site could recharge large amounts of water and how the movements of water took place.
With a successful test trial of two years, the district then purchased 78.8 acres of land and began planning and construction of the Recharge Facility. In 2005-2006 the recharging process began. Within the first year that the facility was in place, over 2 billion gallons of water was recharged back into the Beaumont waster table that was over 400 feet deep.
As mentioned before, 85% of the system is built and anticipated project completion was for 2010. Yet, the 2010 completion date has been moved. The first two phases encompass the building of tanks, recharge ponds, and installing pipe along Brookside Avenue has been built. Full recharging facility and connections to recycled water lines for major parkways and golf courses have not been connected as of yet. Federal funding has now come into being as the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District has had much litigation due to financial laundering, loss of original grant funding, and reduction of fees collected by developers for new housing starts. Today, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is funding nearly $16 million in further improvements and the completion of the valued infrastructure project. This figure may seem like a lot however, “…improvements to [water] system operation and water allocation with a statewide expected value potentially as high as $1.3 billion/year,” (Jenkins). With the money laundering that the district has faced, the district is almost customary to litigation and poor run-ins with the law.
The history of the district while supporting growth and demand faced much litigation from the late 1880s to the 1930s. Again today the district is struck with gray budgets, gray laws and shady practices by the district itself. The one area in which the district is doing positively is reusing the gray water for positive unlike the negative of money laundering. Yet loss of funding to complete the Recreational Park and Recharge Facility is a reality. Compounded to this, the real estate market has softened causing less developer fees to be not being collected to create needed connections and completion of the facility.
The mixture of community trails throughout the detention basins and retention ponds create a community amenity in which was not originally envisioned. Native plants and trees are well positioned with rocks and other natural elements to create a sense of place and purpose. Over 9 acres of drought tolerant and California native gardens are irrigated by recycled water. Between 3 to 4 miles of walking paths, picnic and open area are open to the public. Public rest areas include benches as well as barbeque areas for residents to enjoy. While the area is pleasant to enjoy, the area helps to be the model for the local residents to embrace drought tolerant landscape as much of the newer subdivisions all support high water intensive landscapes.
Saving and creating high quality water through detention basins and retention ponds is the way we can ensure continued growth demands put upon water facilities into the future. Given the strong history of the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District, the future seems bright. The district realized as a critical moment that the need to recycle water would positively impact the area. The district faced with litigation and finical issues is not a good thing, yet it a growing pain for the fringe area within the Los Angeles Basin. The Recreational Park and Recharge Facility will host detention basins and retention ponds that will aid on the water supply demands for the San Gergonio Pass communities. The infrastructure of today will be the reliance in which we build and plan for tomorrow. It is paramount that water shortages not occur within a potentially strong and prosperous region of southern California.
Bahrain Bay Development
April 26, 2010
Bahrain Bay
Bahrain Bay is a $2.5 billion development which will form a man made island in the Persian Gulf, connected to the city of Manama by two road bridges. When complete, the development will include business, retail and residential areas, all designed to create a coherent and integrated community.
Bahrain Bay is committed to establishing and maintaining a new urban standard and to do this, they have created a focus on four foundations that define our philosophy; Scale and Aesthetics, Social Equity, Community Fabric and Tomorrow’s Environment and as the development continues to evolve, these foundations help guide the developer to realize the high standards in quality development.
Earth Day 2010
April 22, 2010
Sometimes music and images can say enough. Please do your part always not just today. Look at how you can change impacts both personally and professionally. We only get one chance on this great planet of ours.
Gray Water Detention Ponds! – Beaumont CA
April 7, 2010
Beaumont California
By Emanuel Satingin
Gray water detention basins have become a more common urban fabric imprint. The need for multi-use capabilities needs to be given solid planning and environmental concern. Rather then large “holes in the ground” these areas can serve as recreational and community enhancements opportunities.
Nearly 85 miles east or one hour and twenty-five minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District Recreational Park & Recharge Facility is a recycled gray water project with detention ponds that will serve as part of a five phase project. The first two phases encompass the building of tanks, recharge ponds, and installing pipe along Brookside Ave. The mixture of community trails and recharging of deep aquifers is needed as the area has had explosive growth within the last decade. The population growth from 2000 to 2008 has had a 186.9% change from 11,384 to 32,633 residents.
Image from www.bcvwd.org
Federal funding has now come into play as the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District has had much litigation dude to financial laundering and lost original grant funding of the project. Today, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is funding nearly $16 million in further improve to the much needed infrastructure project.
By: Miguel Angel Vazquez
Recently, I attended a 2-day workshop at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. At the end of the first day, two of my colleagues and I headed to the city of Oceanside in search for a good place to eat. We ended up at the Souplantation in the neighboring city of Carlsbad. I am not proud to admit it but I had six bowls of different soups including my favorite, clam chowder… YUM!
However , as memorable as the soup was, even more amazing was what I saw on the way to the restaurant. A group of large, round and polished granite boulders, systematically arranged in a Caliburbian* community park captured my full attention. I took an instantaneous picture in my mind and as I processed it, I was certain that these were no ordinary boulders. I knew that their presence was beyond a landscape architect’s creative design. I knew that they encapsulated significant historical value for the Native American group(s) that thrived in this locality prior to the establishment of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in 1798.
The next day, I successfully persuaded Steve and Fay to stop at the park before venturing again into Oceanside in search of our daily dinner. I must say that they were very gracious about this mini field trip. Let’s face it, who wants to go to a park after a day-long workshop? The first thing I noticed as we pulled into the parking lot was the park’s name: “Luiseño Park“. This place had been purposely designed to pay homage to the Luiseño Indians‘ heritage by depicting a simulated village. The large boulders represented the significant role stones played in their daily life. The rocks featured a roasting oven, a shaman rock shelter, and bedrock mortars. Other boulders showed reproductions of petroglyphs and pictographs found in the surrounding area. As I took my first step into the meandering concrete path, I felt as if I was actually stepping into a vision of something I had imagined, something I had dreamed of years ago. A dream turned into reality.
During the peak years of the most recent US boom and bust economy fueled by suburban development I was working as a contract planner for the Riverside County Planning Department in one of the epicenters of the now-defunct “red-hot” housing markets. My planning area was the Sun City/Menifee Area Plan, now the City of Menifee (incorporated in 2008). When I began my assignment as the area planner, I had the good fortune of taking direction from the Planning Director. In addition to making sure that I became well acquainted with the General Plan, he gave me two books: the “Image of the City” by Kevin Lynch and “Guide to the Historic Landmarks of Riverside County California, ” published by the Riverside County Historical Commission Press. I was quite familiar with the first book since it was required for an urban design class I took at Cal State Northridge. The author had coined specific vocabulary for urban designers to describe and understand a place. Some examples are legibility, imageability , paths, nodes, edges and landmarks. These concepts apply to any place, from highly dense populated areas to open spaces. I was amazed that I actually got to apply what I thought as an academic and theoretical book into my daily work. The second book was new to me. It is an actual assemblage of pictures and descriptions of the most important landmarks in Riverside County, including those identified by the National Register of Historic Places, California Historical Landmarks, California Points of Historical Interest and Riverside County Historical Landmarks. The book features notable places such as the Mission Inn, Eagle Mountain and the Hemet Maze Stone among many others.
The last one in particular is one my favorite sites. My two boys and I have a tradition of visiting it every year; there is some sense of adventure every time we go. In spite of the great selection of sites throughout Riverside County shown in the book, I did not find any site located in my planning area, so I had to do a little homework and find out notable places in Menifee. I got in touch with members of the Menifee Historical Society. They were kind enough to take me for a tour and told me stories of Indians, miners, farmers, tract home developments, horse trails, washes and the like. They pointed out significant landmarks; hills, rocks, a vacant lot where the first school was built, the Menifee Quartz Lode and many other features. By the way, Menifee is named after a miner prospector named Luther Menifee Wilson who arrived in the area in the 1880’s in search for gold. After that visit I was blown away. I discovered that this community had roots, stories and places not only worth noting, but fascinating. Menifee’s pre-history is the facet that captivated my attention. I suppose this is due to my visits to a few Pre-Columbian archeological sites in Mexico including Tlatelolco, Templo Mayor, Atlantes the Tula, Teotihuacan, La Venta, Monte Alban, Mitla, Chichen-Itza, Tulum, Palenque, Uxmal and Machu Pichu in Peru.
One of the first projects I was in charge of was for a proposed 219-lot subdivision on an equestrian property. The site had many issues including access, flood control, proposed density (number of houses per acre), amenities, grading and transitional buffers along neighboring properties. One of the adjacent properties was described in the Cultural Resources section of the Sun City/Menifee Valley Area Plan as being the Menifee Archaeological Site (“Ringing Rock” site) which was envisioned to ” be the nucleus of a Native American Interpretive Park connected by trails to other cultural sites and recreation centers”. Such description made me curious and I was eager to ensure that the two sites would co-exist in harmony through urban design and in compliance with all our codes, policies and ordinances. One of my first steps was to visit the so-called Ringing Rock site. I found that the County of Riverside owned the land and that it was under the stewardship of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. So I got in touch with the Tribe’s Cultural Resources Coordinator to discuss the housing project and potential impact to the archeological site. We met at the parcel which was surrounded on four sides by the horse property, a two-lane road parallel to the main highway, open space and a parcel being graded for the construction of a housing tract.
What I saw, experienced and learned on that day provided me with the clarity to fully appreciate the unequivocal value of acknowledging that the pre-history and history of one group or groups is the pre-history and history of humanity. It was at that moment that my appreciation for pre-history, history and cultural resources grew exponentially.
He showed me around the parcel; our first stop was to the actual “ringing rock” which is highly secured to prevent vandalism. To the untrained eye, it may seem just a pile of rocks, but one of those rocks when struck emits a fine ringing sound.
According to tribal elders, cultural resources experts from the tribe and outside professional investigators in the fields of archeology describe that this uncommon rock was used for highly ceremonial purposes. Slabs with numerous mortars, strangely carved boulders, petroglyphs and pictographs are present as part of the evidence that people in this place congregated, shared with one another and faced the common tribulations of life. I imagine that these occasions may have been similar to large family gatherings today when family and friends from here and there gather in one place to celebrate a passage of life or death, to share a meal and to chat about family matters. Although property lines confine the site, it is not difficult to envision how this place fits the context of an era before the concept of “land as a commodity” (meaning property ownership and the ability to buy it and sell it) was introduced. This site is part of what was a major “Indian Village” that may have fluctuated in territorial size due to environmental forces. However, tribal affiliation and language were the major cohesive identity elements among the dwellers. My guide pointed to the four corners and explained the interconnection of this site with the distant San Jacinto and San Gorgonio mountains and the coast through a network of streams and trails. But most importantly, the spiritual connectivity between the tribe, the hills, the streams, the plants, the animals and the boulders was the guiding force for their existence. One of the interesting things he said to me was that the archeology of the Luiseno was not grandiose like the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, but rather small and fragile, the size of a lithic spearhead.
Soon after my site visit and after evaluating the proposal, I found myself at the table with a group of stakeholders discussing impacts to cultural resources including those existing in the property which were part of the village complex. This occasion was part of the process land developers have to go through to comply with the County’s policies and procedures regarding cultural resources and the recently enacted California Senate Bill 18. The property owner’s representative, his civil engineer, the County’s Archaeologist, and the Pechanga’s representatives were at that meeting. I was quite surprised by the outcome of our discussion. First, the developer was willing to re-design the project as recommended by the Planning Department. The concept called for the dedication of an open space lot along the property line abutting the ringing rock site to serve as a buffer. Additionally, the site’s layout design would include an interpretive park located where the existing artifacts were found. Included would be signage describing the story of the Luiseno people and the importance the granitic boulder played in their daily lives. Second, the tribal members were hesitant to take that approach and instead, they would have preferred to have the boulders be buried and deflect attention from cultural resources. These two views, I think were the result of different forces. On one hand the developer was willing to re-design in order to move forward and obtain entitlement approvals for the subdivision: time is money. On the other hand, the tribal members were perhaps unwilling to share the resource as a result of past and unchecked vandalism and destruction of resources left behind by the ancestors: a pile of rocks in the eye of the untrained eye…remember?
To my knowledge, the project did not move forward. Perhaps it is still on hold and in process with the City of Menifee.
Now, I hope you can see why I had the urgency to stop at Luiseno Park, a place for community congregation, a place for families to play and share among the boulders.
A FEW POINTS BEYOND THIS STORY
A pile of rocks?
1. As a professional land use planner, the events described above encouraged me to get involved with the local section of the American Planning Association (the Inland Empire Section) where I act as the Section’s Historian. Under this position, we have been able to reach out to professionals in the fields of urban planning, urban designers, tribal members, archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, elected officials and students through the annual historical symposiums. In the past two years we discussed development and the value of pre-historic resources in western Riverside County and the Coachella Valley. The 3rd Historical Symposium will be announced soon in the IES/APA website.
2. At the same time, I have been able to meet many fascinating individuals, scholars and experts in their fields. One of those individuals is Steve Freers, a rock art expert. He was the note speaker of the first Historical Symposium we held at the Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology (now the estern Science Museum) in the City of Hemet. He will be teaching a class in March at the University of California RIverside Extension. I hope you can sign up, you will not regret it.
3. It would be fascinating if there was a study that mapped and linked every tribe along the American continent through linguistics and ancient trails at different points in time. I think this would help us as a group to appreciate the value of a “pile of rocks”.
4. The Press Enterprise, a local newspaper published a very informative special report entitled Sacred Places as a result of the passage of SB18.
5. It is interesting that in the website for ADL Planning, the landscape designer for Luiseno Park does not mention anything about the phenomenal cultural value of the boulders.
6. Luiseno Park was inaugurated in 2004, just about two years before I began working on the ringing rock site. I should’ve known!
A NOTE ON CALIBURBAN DEVELOPMENT
*Caliburbia: I am on a quest to define Caliburbia. For now, it is a compound word made from California and suburbia. It can have variations such as “Califurbia” or “Calburbia”. It basically means a suburban development built during the boom and bust years in California preceding the Great Recession of 2009. Have you ever heard of Dream Street?…something along those lines
Infrastructure
March 31, 2010
Photographer Benny Chan
Auto dependence, energy dependence, and water reliance are some of the things we have shaped our modern day infrastructure. Infrastructure is something that supports the overall collective benefit of society. Society demands and needs the support of infrastructure to get people mobile, connected and supported. Bridges, telecommunications, roads, dams and water all support the human way of life. With out these infrastructure projects and more, the human existence of the built environment would not look as it looks today.
American Recovery and Reinvestment
March 27, 2010
Courtsey of the city of Fremont California Website
From time to time you should be seeing large signs all across America were various cities and infrastructure projects have been given funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. For more information please check out www.recovery.gov.
