Yard & Landscape Drainage in Wildomar

Yard & Landscape Drainage questions from Wildomar customers

Does my Wildomar yard drain toward Lake Elsinore or toward Murrieta Creek?

It depends which side of the City you are on. The 2019 Master Drainage Plan states that the northwestern portion, Region S, lies in the Santa Ana River watershed and that storm runoff flows westerly into the City of Lake Elsinore and its namesake lake, while the central, eastern and southern portion, Regions W and M, lies in the Santa Margarita watershed with runoff going to Murrieta Channel and Creek.

Which water board's rules apply to runoff leaving a Wildomar property?

The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District is principal permittee for the Santa Margarita watershed MS4 permit, Order R9-2013-0001 as amended by R9-2015-0001 and R9-2015-0100, with Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar and the County of Riverside as co-permittees. Adjacent cities in the San Jacinto watershed answer to the Santa Ana Regional Board instead.

How much water is my Wildomar street supposed to carry before it backs into the yard?

More than you might expect. The Master Drainage Plan's criteria are to contain 100-year runoff within the street right-of-way and 10-year runoff within the street curbs, with the level of protection stated as 100-year flood protection for all dwelling units. Wildomar's subdivision code sets the same 100-year design frequency. A yard that floods in a modest storm is usually a local outlet problem, not a street capacity one.

Is standing water in my yard a sign my part of Wildomar has no drainage system at all?

It can be. The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan attributes the City's flooding areas to no drainage infrastructure, undersized pipes where runoff exceeds capacity even in minor storms, obstructions, and damaged pipes, and notes the oldest and most damaged lines are on the west side of the City. The 2019 Master Drainage Plan explicitly did not analyze existing facilities to determine deficiencies.

What does landscape drainage repair involve on a Wildomar lot?

Finding where the water enters and where it can leave, then choosing what carries it: regrading where the fall can be restored, a catch basin or channel drain where it cannot, and a piped run to an outlet. In Wildomar the outlet depends on the street. The City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan counts over 53 miles of dirt roads, so many frontages have no curb to drain into, and the City's code requires a permit for work in a street or its right of way. The Wildomar guide on this site goes through each case.

My Wildomar street is a dirt road. Where does the yard water go?

Onto the lot or into a graded roadside path, since there is no gutter or inlet to reach. That is reasoning from the City's own statement that Wildomar has over 53 miles of dirt roads and that rain and erosion leave many of them impassable each winter. According to the City's Municipal Code, work in the right of way needs a permit from the Transportation Director and an unapproved connection to the storm drain system is a violation, so the outlet is worth settling before anything is dug.