EASTVALE, CA (February 16, 2012) – At the February 22nd meeting of the Eastvale City Council, council members and attendees will hear a detailed presentation about the Santa Ana River Mainstem (SARM) Project and the Prado Dam Project. The presentation will be given by Lance Natsuhara, Manager of the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project. The meeting will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at Rosa Parks Elementary School 13830 Whispering Hills Drive, Eastvale 92280. The meeting is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend.

The Santa Ana River Mainstem (SARM) Project including Prado Dam Project is being constructed to address what the Corps of Engineers identified in the 1980’s as ‘the worst flood threat west of the Mississippi River.’ At that time, the project impacted three million people and 110,000 acres located in the three Southern California counties of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino, with an estimated loss of 3,000 lives and $15 billion in economic losses (1987-8 price levels). To date, the Federal Government and the flood control districts of the impacted counties have spent over $1 billion on the Project.

The SARM Project in the three counties of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino includes the following:

1) Construction of 550 ft. high 3,000 ft. long Seven Oaks Dam
2) Raising existing Prado Dam’s embankment and spillway and constructing new outlet gates
3) Constructing or improving over 23 miles of channel and protecting natural streambeds
4) Constructing dikes, levees, drainage basins and underground drainage facilities
5) Purchasing/providing real property rights in over 7,000 acres for construction, increases in reservoir and drainage capacity, habitat preserve and open space
6) Performing relocations or protecting State highways, local major and secondary roadways, bridges, powerhouses, major and minor utility lines
7) Providing or funding environmental mitigation including purchase of habitat land, funding restoration projects, managing habitat and conducting studies
8 ) Preserving or documenting cultural resources and enhancing recreation

The Prado Dam Project element consists of raising the dam 28.4 feet, raising the spillway 20 feet, increasing the outlet capacity of the dam from 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 30,000 cfs, raising the flooding elevation in the reservoir from 556′ to 566′, increasing the storage from 217,000 to 362,000 acre-feet and acquiring lands for the expanded reservoir or protect properties in the reservoir with nine earthen dikes.

About the City of Eastvale:
Eastvale, one of California’s newest cities, began operation on October 1, 2010. Roughly ten years prior, Eastvale was a part of the world-famous Chino dairy area, home to thousands of dairy cattle and only a handful of residents. Today, Eastvale has an ever-growing population of 54,303 residents at the 2010 census. Roughly 90 percent of the city is developed and served by a variety of local and regional shopping centers. Eastvale residents are proud of their community and of incorporation as well as the chance to chart their own future as an independent city. Eastvale is a young and dynamic community in Western Riverside County filled with economic opportunity and strong values. The City Council values and encourages public participation in the governing process. For more information on the City of Eastvale, please visit: www.EastvaleCA.gov