Why can't the City stop the water from running across Gene Autry Trail/Indian Canyon Drive/Vista Chino after a rain?

While dry and arid for most of the year, the City of Palm Springs is especially prone to flooding due to its proximity to the adjacent mountains. Significant storm water runoff is experienced from time to time in the Whitewater River, Tahquitz Creek, Palm Canyon Wash, Snow Creek Canyon Wash/San Gorgonio River, Chinó Canyon Wash, and Mission Creek. Although much of the city is protected by a variety of flood control improvements, including concrete levees, storm drains, and detention basins, there are areas of the city where properties are located in or near a special flood hazard areas and risk flooding as a result of severe storms.  

The Whitewater Wash within the Palm Springs City Limits is over 7,000 acres made up of privately-owned and publicly-owned lands. NONE of the land parcels adjoining the roadways are owned by the City of Palm Springs. The wash stretches between the levee on the south near Sunrise Parkway, Southern Pacific Railroad on the north, the east side of the CVWD/DWA recharge ponds, to the levee on the west side of Cathedral City limits.  The City has right-of-way that covers an 80 foot wide swath for each of the three roads that traverse the wash. Indian Canyon Drive makes up about 17 acres, Gene Autry Trail makes up about 18 acres, and Vista Chino makes up almost 5 acres. This means the City has control over less than 1% of the total wash acreage.

City crews are not allowed to dam the flood waters by creating mounds on the sides which would cause additional flooding on the surrounding parcel properties themselves. All our crews can do is wait for the water to stop flowing to clear the pavement for traffic. Even then as many saw in September of 2022, water was still coming off the mountains and flowing across the road weeks after a rainfall.

Why can't the City build a barrier, like a snow fence, to keep the sand from blowing across Indian Canyon Drive/Gene Autry/Vista Chino?

You may or may not have heard the term 'blowsand". This is the silt that remains on the surface after a flood event and the all the water has evaporated. Blowsand is much finer than normal sand, almost powder-like and travels off the surface in the slightest breeze. There are ACRES of blowsand in the wash a week or two after a storm. You can imagine when the winds whip up to 30-35-45 mph, how much sand can drift across the roadway. This is why a "sand-fence" is not a permanent solution. It would work for a while, but eventually the sand would build up against the windward side of the fence and start blowing over it again. The City cannot enter private property with earth moving equipment to clear the sand away from a "sand-fence". All our crews can do is wait for wind to stop blowing enough so that it's possible to clear the pavement for traffic.

Beside being constrained by private-public property, there are the various animal and plant species that live in the wash. Many now on the endangered list due to continued development in the Coachella Valley. Species that are protected by local, state, and federal laws and can carry heavy penalties for disturbance of their eco-system. Even the windmills with their individual small bases have to review their Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before they can remove an old windmill or place a new one. In some instances, the windmill structures have been removed, but the concrete bases and footings have been left in place. This may be due to the amount of disturbance to the surrounding ecosystem that would be required by removing them, especially if the windmill has been in place for a few years.

When will the City build a bridge along Indian Canyon Drive/Gene Autry/Vista Chino across the wash?

INDIAN CANYON DRIVE:  The Coachella Valley Association of Governments is applying for federal monies in order to fund a bridge project for Indian Canyon Drive crossing a portion of the Whitewater Wash. One bridge will cover the northerly side of the wash, where the majority of storm water crosses the road, near Palm Springs Station Road. The second bridge will be on the southerly side of the wash, closer to the levee that abuts Sunrise Parkway. CVAG Staff is recommending a contract with Michael Baker International to proceed with design work for three locations in the valley simultaneously at a cost of $4-5 million dollars.

GENE AUTRY TRAIL:  There are no plans for a Gene Autry Trail bridge at this time.

VISTA CHINO: The plans are in the 65% design phase for a low-water crossing bridge on Vista Chino to cross the Whitewater Wash. 2016 estimated bridge completion costs were approximately $95 Million. Completion of plans to incorporate review and plans by SCE, Frontier, Verizon, AT&T to relocate their existing utilities across Whitewater Wash to avoid new bridge supports. The consultant is waiting on completion of Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for possible accommodation of study's findings.

ARABY TRAIL: Araby Trail is the main road from Araby Cove to Palm Springs proper for cove residents and emergency services. Floodwater flows within Palm Canyon Wash closing Araby Trail periodically during the rainy season. The only alternate road is Rim Road (Private Road) that exits at East Palm Canyon Drive east of the E Palm Canyon Drive Bridge. In 2009 the City applied for Caltrans funding for a bridge and funding was approved in 2011. Total cost was estimated at $11.4 Million. In 2012, between 44%-51%of the residents of Araby Cove protested the bridge construction. City Council voted to deny the project which resulted in loss of future Caltrans funding for any bridge across Palm Canyon Wash.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Frustration grows for all due to traffic backups and delays on the few alternate routes left for commuters. With any significant rain expect the Whitewater Wash crossings to be closed or backed up. Rain and snow melt may still run off the mountain and across the washes for days or weeks after.

• If you can consolidate or postpone driving across town until roads open, do so.
• Take a bus or carpool to put fewer cars on the road.
• Shorten/lengthen your hours to avoid peak commute times.
• Stagger your work hours or days to avoid peak travel times.
• If possible, arrange to work from home for a few days.
• Take in VillageFest (Thursday nights), or have dinner downtown to delay traveling during afternoon peak commute hours.