A check in on infrastructure of Valley’s dams
In 2012, a flash flood left east Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City almost unrecognizable for hours.
“Just a lot of water came through and we weren’t ready for it,” resident Patrick Chaffin recalled. “People panicked.”
The flooding stranded motorists and pushed a layer of deep of mud into some area businesses. Since the event, the Eagle Canyon Dam was built. It opened in 2016, but some local business owners say they are still a little bit skeptical.
“It did give us pause at the last rainstorm because we know it’s new,” said Laurie Deane, the founder and CEO of Golda’s House. “So, we did think about it a little bit and hope it’s gunna hold.”
A representative for Riverside County Flood Control said all of the nearly 40 county dams undergo multiple inspections a year at both the state and county levels. They are also checked by engineers before, during and after a storm.
“We’re very sensitive and attending to our dams to make sure they’re protective and provide the public safety benefits our communities expect,” said Jason Uhley, general manager and chief engineer of Riverside County Flood Control, said over the phone. “The dams in the desert are all doing well.”
In fact, the Eagle Canyon Dam was one of nine projects recognized nationally when it was named Flood Management Project of the Year for the state of California in 2016.
RCFC said the dams within the Coachella Valley are much smaller than the one in Oroville and are for flood control purposes. Therefore, they are not holding a massive amount of water behind them.
