Can Santa Ana River Do More Than Flood Control?

For many Southern Californians, the Santa Ana River, which runs from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, is not so much a river but a chain link of levees and channels cutting through the urban landscape.

But a growing number of municipal and parks officials in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties are seeing the potential for something more.

“Flood control will remain a priority for the river,” said Orange County Supervisor Lou Correa. “But we want to get the public to start thinking about this as a major recreational resource.”

Officials envision a 110-mile “mountains to the sea” stretch of river dotted with small parks, trails, wading ponds and other attractions. Correa even hopes for skate parks in the concrete channels in Orange County during the dry season.

The project will entail coordination among several layers of government as cities and counties build their own parks along the river. In Orange County, the plan may conflict with proposals to extend the Orange Freeway south along the river from where the roadway ends at the Garden Grove Freeway.

But supporters are hopeful and say it is a way to create recreational spaces in cities with little or no land for new parks.

“On weekends, there’s 10,000 people using this river for recreation,” said Correa, whose district includes older cities such as Garden Grove and Santa Ana in the river’s path. “Instead of a wide-open park with trees and playgrounds, in most places we have only a 12-foot-wide path.”

The cost will depend on how much of the river’s bank gets changed into parks, but one possible source of funding is working its way through the Legislature.

A bill by state Sen. Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) calls for a $4-billion state-bond issue for clean water, parks and coastal projects. It would allocate about $50 million for projects along the river. The Senate is expected to consider SB 153 in January.

Those who use the riverbanks for jogging and bicycling said they welcomed the plan.

“A lot of people use this trail,” said Juan Castillo, 43, a marathon runner from Santa Ana who was training along the river near 17th Street. “But as you can see,” he said, pointing to a narrow stretch, “we need more space.”

Elected officials in the three counties have mulled a river-park trail project for decades, said Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, but only in recent years has the idea made progress. “In the past, it’s been concepts and visions,” he said. “Now we’re organizing efforts.”

In Riverside, county and city officials are discussing plans to enhance trails and create bikeways or walking paths along the river and connect them to historical sites near Prado Dam.

In San Bernardino County, supervisors approved a plan two years ago to take debris-filled riverfront land in Colton and transform it into a regional park with a lake, sports fields and wetlands preserve. The park, originally envisioned as a 200-acre facility, has been pared to 80 acres and is still in the planning phase.

The Wildlands Conservancy, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, has been pushing the idea for years. The group says recreational areas along the river will not conflict with its main role as a flood control channel.

D.P. Myers, a program manager for the conservancy, pointed to the River View Golf Course in Santa Ana, a tract built on the flood channel in 1994. Builders poured dirt on both sides of the concrete channel and planted grass and trees, leaving a narrow path for the river. About 20 to 30 days every year, the river floods and submerges half of the course, but golfers can play the full 18 holes the rest of the year.