Jurupa Valley advisory committee recommends council review of private Galena Street drainage ditch

A resident urged the Jurupa Valley Public Works Advisory Committee on April 10 to address a clogged concrete “V” ditch that runs behind homes on Galena Street, saying the vegetation and debris could block flows to the downstream flood-control channel and create fire and flood hazards.

Deborah Hild, a longtime Jurupa Valley resident, told the committee: "A v ditch runs behind my house along Galena Street. . . . If we get any substantial rain, this could potentially block the flow to the flood control channel causing flooding of property." She said county crews used to clean the ditch regularly but the city had told her the easement was never accepted and that maintenance had become the property owners' responsibility.

City staff reviewed the record and said the channel is currently private and not in the city's maintenance system. "This is considered private property at this point, and we do not maintain anything in private property," Dave French, deputy director of operations, told the committee. Staff described two options: leave maintenance as the homeowners’ responsibility, or recommend the city assume maintenance and take the item to the City Council for authorization.

Staff estimated initial and ongoing costs if the city assumed maintenance: roughly $17,000 annually for twice-yearly contractor work (pre- and post-wet season), equipment and disposal, and prevailing-wage contractor labor; the initial cleanup would include cutting back overgrowth and jetting accumulated debris. Staff also said the city would need recorded public easements from each affected owner — staff estimated about five properties would be involved — before crews may lawfully access and maintain the channel.

Staff and committee members repeatedly described the item as a "special case" because the ditch lies outside the private property fences near the right-of-way and therefore is relatively accessible compared with other private ditches that sit inside backyards. Staff warned taking on maintenance could set a precedent because the city has other private drainage areas; committee members and residents said the ditch’s visible location and debris that reaches the flood channel weigh in favor of city involvement.

The committee agreed by consensus to move forward with a recommendation to the City Council: staff will request a formal petition from residents asking the city to assume maintenance, prepare the necessary easement paperwork for roughly five property owners, and return to council for consideration. Staff cautioned that, if council agrees, the city could not begin work until all easements and legal steps were complete.

Next steps identified at the meeting: staff will accept a formal resident request, prepare a council submittal, and if council approves, record easements and contract for the initial cleanup and ongoing twice-yearly maintenance. No formal council action occurred at the committee meeting; the committee’s direction was a recommendation to staff to bring the matter to the City Council.

Details from the meeting: the channel (La Bonita tract area south side of Galena, just west of Pedley) was recorded in the early 1970s; county records on file show the drainage easement was not accepted into the county maintenance system when the tract was accepted. Staff said other private drainage locations exist around the city and maintaining this channel could create precedent for similar requests.