UPDATE: On Thursday, June 13, Andy Morris, Division 5 Director for Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District visited the neighbors on Arron Ct. in Murrieta. In an interview with Valley News, he empathized with their situation. He agreed to organize a meeting with EVMWD, Riverside County Flood Control and possibly the city, to find a remedy. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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Murrieta residents sink deeper into groundwater struggle as local authorities remain MIA
Residents on Arron Ct. in Murrieta, are grappling with persistent excessive groundwater issues, which they claim the city authorities attribute to a newly emerged natural spring on their properties. Despite numerous pleas for assistance, they claim the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and the City of Murrieta have distanced themselves from the problem, leaving homeowners frustrated and seeking resolution.
Pamela Race, a homeowner on Arron Ct., recounts the ordeal that began shortly after moving into her residence in August 2023. “In December 2023, we began noticing an excessive amount of water permeating through the ground in our backyard and front yard,” Race said. Despite efforts to address the issue by contacting local authorities, including the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and the City of Murrieta, Race and her neighbors faced a series of dead ends.
The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District initially speculated that the issue could be groundwater-related and suggested contacting the City of Murrieta for further assistance. According to Race, Murrieta City officials concluded that since the problem originated on private property, homeowners were responsible for resolving it. She reported that after seeking assistance, her neighbor, John Perry, received a code violation from the city for having too much runoff water from his property.
Race said it’s worse when it rains. She had up to two feet of water in her backyard after the recent rains. When she walks in her front yard and backyard now, you can see her feet sink into the yard a few inches while water covers her feet.
Efforts to mitigate the groundwater problem have proven ineffective. Race resorted to installing additional piping in her yard in February 2024. She and her neighbor Perry say that the persistent issue poses a health hazard due to mosquito infestations, slippery algae growth, and most importantly possibly to the foundations of their homes.
Race’s frustrations culminated in a formal claim filed with the City of Murrieta on May 22, 2024, seeking damages related to the groundwater issue. However, the claim was swiftly denied by a third-party agency contracted by the city.
Valley News learned that the City of Murrieta has “hold harmless” agreements with their home developers, which absolve the city from liability related to certain issues, effectively shifting responsibility onto the developer or other parties involved. The challenge for these neighbors is knowing where to turn for help.
Neighboring residents echo Race’s concerns. Perry expressed fears of potential sinkholes and structural damage caused by the saturated ground, including possibly while his family sleeps.
A USGS hydrogeologist contacted by Valley News said it is unlikely that the water is coming from a brand new natural spring, but more likely that it is treated water and leaking out of pipes somewhere in the neighborhood. He said that water districts can lose as much as 10% of their water supply on a regular basis and they may not even be aware.
The hydrogeologist suggested that the first task would be to measure the water to see if there was any trace of chlorine, however chlorine dissipates very quickly. Perry said that a water district engineer came out to his property initially and tested the water for chlorine on Sept. 12, 2023 and did find some, although he was told it still wasn’t a water district issue.
Race said she also had the water company come and test for chlorine and she hasn’t received the results yet.
The water district declined to comment on the issue when Valley News reached out to verify Race’s and Perry’s claims.Valley News has learned that it is possible to have some traces of chlorine naturally occur in water after receiving a call from EVMWD Director Andy Morris. He said he wasn’t aware of the issue and would look into it.
Despite persistent efforts to seek assistance, including engaging with the Riverside County Flood Control, homeowners remain in limbo as no entity seems willing to help them remedy the issue or point them to an agency that is willing to help them seek out and address the underlying cause of the groundwater problem.
Adding to the frustration is the lack of disclosure in their real estate paperwork, leaving the homeowners unaware that there was an issue before purchasing their properties. Perry said, “I should have been given the choice to decide whether I wanted to buy a home with excessive groundwater issues.”
Valley News has attempted to seek comment from local authorities, including the Murrieta Mayor’s office and a Lake Elsinore Water Engineer, which were met with silence or statements from their public information officers that they had no comment due to the concern for potential litigation.
Meanwhile, the groundwater issue appears to extend beyond Arron Ct., with reports emerging of similar problems in at least one neighborhood about a mile away from Arron Ct. Murrieta resident Theresa Parsons on Wooden Horse Trail said they have to pump 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of water out of their yard daily.
As residents continue to grapple with the ramifications of unchecked groundwater intrusion, their plea for assistance remains unanswered, leaving them to navigate the crisis with limited resources and support. Christine, a supportive neighbor that isn’t having an issue with her property said, “Everybody is passing the buck on this. We are just looking for a resource to figure out who is responsible for this.”
Valley News will continue to report on this issue.
Aden Haggerty contributed to this story.
