San Bernardino County, USA, Launches Emergency Repair of City Creek Channel Bank Slopes
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 13, the San Bernardino County Flood Control District in California, USA, submitted an exemption notice to the state government for the City Creek Bypass Channel Emergency Repair Project, planning to repair channel erosion and bank slope undercutting caused by Tropical Storm Rachel and El Niño-related rainfall in 2026–2027. The first-phase construction area is located along Third Street in the City of San Bernardino between Pedley Road and Whitlock Avenue, focusing on addressing damage to the channel bank slopes and the adjacent sidewalk.
Recent rainfall has caused substantial surface runoff from Third Street and surrounding developed areas to flow into the City Creek Bypass Channel, intensifying localized flow scouring, resulting in severe erosion of the channel bank slopes and affecting the support structures beneath portions of the adjacent sidewalk. The county flood control department will first address the sections where erosion has already occurred, restore bank slope stability, and reduce the risk of continued scouring of the channel and impacts on surrounding public facilities from subsequent rainfall.
Engineering measures include repairing erosion and structural damage caused by storm events, constructing temporary construction access roads, backfilling and placing slope stabilization materials, installing cable supports or other scour protection facilities, and repairing related flood control structures. If subsequent rainfall causes new damage, the construction scope may also be expanded to other sections of the City Creek Bypass Channel, covering emergency response needs from autumn–winter 2026 through winter 2027.
This project uses emergency engineering procedures. California Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency on September 21, 2026, in response to the 2026–2027 El Niño weather event, based on which the county flood control department included disaster facility repairs within the scope of emergency project exemptions. The relevant notice was submitted in accordance with California Environmental Quality Act provisions concerning disaster facility repairs and public safety emergency projects, and does not require completion of a full environmental impact review under standard project procedures.
