$4.9M dispute over flood-prevention plan in Palm Springs area
The Coachella Valley Water District board was scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to buy private property for a long-planned Thousand Palms flood-control project for what one owner alleges is far less than it’s worth. The potential purchase by CVWD is the first of several acquisitions that will be needed for the $110 million project, which aims to protect 10,000 acres of current and future development and designated conservation lands from flooding from three watersheds, by lacing dikes and channels from the Classic Club Golf Course to Del Webb/Sun City Homes north of Interstate 10, documents show. Environmental documents approved by federal and state regulators show as many as 37 homes would need to be acquired and torn down, but CVWD spokesperson Lorraine Garcia said that number has been reduced to four homes via new designs.