ModernRock wrote on Feb 13, 2008 8:56 AM:It's about time. Lake Elsinore has so much potenetial.

Cal wrote on Feb 13, 2008 9:48 AM:Elsinore will never be anything. Since the 1920's the city has been under a curse of corruption and loss. ... And the lake itself is a giant unflushed toilet.

Scott wrote on Feb 13, 2008 1:19 PM:Lake Elsinore is a scum pond. The water is green! With a floating out house on it. The town is an arm pit!

Robert A. V. wrote on Feb 13, 2008 1:54 PM:The Lake Elsinore City Council are not visionaries, but are out of touch with future realities concerning the Lake and it's future. Reference attahed letter to the State Dept. of Water Resources.

I am proposing to reconnect the San Jacinto River to Wasson Creek via an inflatable diverter gate as I have suggested since 1980, but instead of discharging those flows into the Temescal Wash and incurring the wrath of the USCOE, to instead construct a new Dam and to impound the River flows behind this Dam and resulting reservoir. This project is feasible in that the impounded area that would be inundated is still vacant land in a crime ridden area much in need of redevelopment. Housing scheduled for the area is now on the back burner caused by the housing downturn. Additionally as I pointed out in my last letter to Dir. Snow, that my aerial observation
(I am a commercial pilot and a retired structural engineer) reveals that the hilly topography could be cheaply altered by reshaping it into a dam configuration. This project would save potable runoff water enough to service one to four million households. This water in storm conditions currently flows into Lake Elsinore and becomes highly toxic and unpotable as I described in my last letter that you responded to. This project also prevents the failure of Railroad Canyon Dam, a church recently constructed just below it, bridges of the I-15 freeway, a municipal stadium, a housing development, insanely built in the floodplain, loss of many lives and property, six times greater than what occurred in 1980. Above the destroyed dam, which there are no resources to rebuild, the newly founded City of Canyon Lake turns into a dry gorge fit only for motorcross activities.
You restated in your letter, the objectives and purposes for the existence of a state funded Department of Water Resources; however, I think the Governor of the state would have to agree that in these times of impending catastrophe from lack of sufficient water resources that you agency is the focal point and logical department to address our San Jacinto River concerns. I find no fault in the State Bond issue currently being formulated to provide water for the populace, that it be only partially funded by state grants. The major funding should indeed come from those agencies that benefit. In my previous letter to you I pointed out that the City of Lake Elsinore and the City of Canyon Lake would benefit the most from my proposal. The City of Lake Elsinore is in the position of providing 80% of the funding for the new Dam & reservoir construction at no expense to the city taxpayers by simply voiding their current contract with the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA). As I testified to the Riverside County Grand Jury, this contract is flawed. Instead of the City of Elsinore paying $1.3 million to SAWPA to be the dumping ground for their toxic water, that SAWPA should be charged $20 million plus annually for the privilege. This money should then be applied to the construction and annual maintenance costs of the new Dam and Lake to be named; Meadowbrook, Good Hope, Lester Snow,Bob Buster or whatever!
SAWPA's financial disclosure probably shows they receive $10 million annually from the County of Orange to divert Moreno Valley toilet away from their drinking water aquifers and to instead dump it next to Lake Elsinore's aquifers. It is guessed that Moreno Valley and Temecula, (Corona next?) pay $10 million annually to SAWPA to dump their toilet water into Lake Elsinore. This analysis would indicate that if SAWPA paid $20 million to the City of Elsinore annually they would still make a tidy profit. SAWPA already took possession of the $15 million dollar State grant/bribe awarded to Lake Elsinore to take legal possession of the Lake from the State!
Because of the recent death of a young woman that the CDC is investigating as caused by contact with Lake Elsinore's water I am making an additional, new proposal.
This proposal should make SAWPA deliriously happy as it corresponds to their proposal to the City officials some years ago. The proposal shows SAWPA imported toilet water occupying the entire 6,000 acre Lake basin to elevation 1263.3 elevation. Chain link fencing topped by razor wire should surround the entire basin with numerous skull and crossbones signs affixed. The proposal below even though it was never accepted by the City was illegally initiated by SAWPA all the way up to elevation 1265' m.s.l. This was done by SAWPA thru the courts in the form of a flood easements on all properties below 1265' msl. Those easements still remain on most properties below 1265' msl except my property which I challenged in court and won that they were obtained illegally. I requested the County Grand Jury to take action to remove the illegally obtained easements on all the properties, but they excused themselves that this was a civil matter that they had neither the time, interest or resources to address. All my property is above the SAWPA needed 1263.3 msl elevation, so SAWPA already has the legal right to start dumping and expanding their waste treatment facility on property below my elevation which they were quoted in the press recently as becoming necessary. The SAWPA property appraiser was quoted in the press some years ago "that all land with a flood easement affixed had zero value". This philosophy was accepted several years ago by the County Supervisor's office when they instructed the County Tax Board to remove properties at lower elevations from the tax rolls since they had "no value"!
Along with my proposed enlargement of SAWPA's waste treatment facility I would suggest the Lake Elsinore City officials reverse their action taken in the early 80's and change the City's name back to "Elsinore".

Smelsinore wrote on Feb 13, 2008 3:04 PM:Comparing Lake Elsinore with Lake Arrowhead is a joke. Lake Elsinore is the armpit of riverside county. Lake Arrowhead is an upscale resort town. So there is a McDonalds on the lake but what else is there? Theres an art gallery, many shops and more upscale restaurants. No one comes to Lake Elsinore for a vacation, and anyone who does is stupid. Lake Elsinore is dirty, smells, and dangerous. Stop dumping money into the city, its obviously not working. Give it to surrouding areas... maybe Temecula. They know how things work.

Dave wrote on Feb 13, 2008 3:57 PM:THe best thing they could do for lake elsinore would use the water for farming and pump it dry.

matt wrote on Feb 13, 2008 5:56 PM:instead of buying this land they should finish changing all the street signs to make them all uniform...i guess they gave up on that and it looks stupid

Questions for Robert A.V wrote on Feb 13, 2008 8:17 PM:Robert, when was the death of the woman they are investigating as being associated with Lake Elsinore water? Where can I get more information on that? I do know that there are documented deaths of large domestic animals and dogs from drinking water containing bluegreen algae toxins. Also, hasn't cyanobacteria, also known as bluegreen algae, or toxic algae, been discovered in Lake Elsinore? If you check the State Water Board website, I believe you will find that Lake Elsinore is one of the water bodies in CA that suffers from cyanobacteria blooms. The Water Board and water suppliers are beginning to pay close attention to this increasingly serious water quality problem. In a June, 2007 report issued by the State Water Board, they recommended that if an active bloom is visible, the Environmental Health Dept should be called, and the lake posted. Some strains of cyanobacteria release liver and neurotoxins. If a lake manager is not educated in recognizing cyanobacteria (which has a neon-green appearance, and rises and falls in the water depending upon temperature and light conditions) and uses copper sulfate to "knock it down" as is the practice with normal algae, the toxins can be released so quickly that birds and other wildlife that drink it are killed. Obviously, that is not recommended. What is recommended are aeration, water change-out, and cutting back nutrients. This is no joke. Google "cyanobacteria toxins."

Dan wrote on Feb 14, 2008 2:36 PM:I moved here from OC last year and it is not so bad.The lake has never looked better,dream extreme!!!!

Mark wrote on Feb 19, 2008 6:22 PM:LOL of the smelsinore guys comment regarding the ability Temecula has on "They know how things work" I guess you haven't drivin through Temecula and or tried to get off the freeway there recently. Moving traffic in and out of a community to me is that of something highly important. Gridlock is something we could all do without, not to mention their support of the gaming initiatives that will cause Pechanga to grow 3 times the size it already is. Thats planning? lol. I feel truly sorry for the neighbors who would have voted for anymore expansion i.e. the second largest casino in the country, to become even larger. As if 31,250.00 a month for every man women and child with heritage to Pechanga wasnt enough. Thats a whole nother issue. But you just wait and see what that does to the logjam of traffic in the city.

As far as Lake Elsinore goes, improvement must be happening when water quality exceeds that of Canyon Lake, upsteam mind you. I have a relative that lives as close to the water on Lake Elsinore, as you possibly could, and in her opinion, over the past 3 years many things have changed as far as noticible water quality along with new species of birds occupying the area more often than ever before, they must be doing something right!