Wildomar Briefing Book

The City is embarking on Future by Design – Envision Wildomar 2040, Wildomar’s first city-specific General Plan that will guide City decisions about transportation, jobs, housing, parks, shopping, services, safety, and more through the year 2040.

This Briefing Book webpage offers a visual snapshot and narrative of Wildomar today––how land is used, how residents get around, how the economy functions, how the City’s physical form impacts development. The information here also shows how environmental hazards affect residents, and how vital infrastructure services support the City.

The information presented in this Briefing Book webpage is intended to establish a shared understanding of these important characteristics to highlight what we can build from and what we need to address in the General Plan Update.

This Briefing Book is set up with a series of tabs, shown at the top of your screen. Each tab addresses a different topic; click on a tab to read about it. This Briefing Book also includes interactive maps. To get the most out of these maps, please read the following instructions:

A general plan is each local government’s blueprint for meeting the community’s long-term vision for the future. In the State of California, all cities are required to develop a  general plan . A general plan includes goals and policies that guide development, growth, economic development, and safety within a jurisdiction. These goals and policies inform property owners and developers of community expectations and assist decisionmakers as they review projects.

A general plan is required to include the following elements:

· Land Use · Circulation · Housing · · Conservation · Open Sapce · Noise · Safety · Environmental Justice

The Wildomar City Council and Planning Commission are responsible for making planning decisions in the City. The Planning Department houses the technical planning staff. The primary goal of the Planning Department is to implement orderly and compatible development which creates livable neighborhoods, supports economic development, and sustains a high quality of life for Wildomar residents.

·  City Council:  The City Council is made up of five members elected by districts by the citizens to serve as the law-making and policy-setting body of the municipality. The City Council appoints a City Manager to direct administrative affairs and a City Attorney to be the legal advisor for the City.

·  Planning Commission:  The Planning Commission is comprised five Wildomar residents appointed by the City Council. The Commission’s primary role is to review and make decisions on various land use development applications such as, but not limited to, conditional use permits, plot plans, variances, parcel maps, and tract maps. The Commission also makes recommendations to the City Council regarding amendments to the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. Decisions by the Planning Commission are reached through the public hearing process that is open to the public.  

The map below shows the construction date of development in the City from every decade starting from 1879 until 2019. Press the play button on the map below to see how the City has grown.

Population, Age, and Race/Ethnicity At a Glance

Of the 2,454,453 residents living in Riverside County, 37,013 of them, or 1.5 percent, live in the City of Wildomar in 2021. As of 2020, there are approximately 11,743 homes and 8,800 jobs [1]  in the City.

The median age in Wildomar is 35.1 years, while the median age in Riverside County and the State of California are 35.8 years and 36.7 years, respectively. Therefore, this suggests that newer residents in the City are younger, compared to the County and State median ages. Approximately 50.8 percent of residents are female, and 49.2 percent of residents are male.

 [1]  Employment figures are from SCAG and differ from the employment figures provided by the US Census Bureau.

The largest age group of men (approximately 16 percent) fall within the 20-to-29-year age bracket, while the largest age group of women (approximately 14 percent) fall within the 30-to-49-year age bracket.

The majority of the City’s residents are white (43.6 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (40.9 percent). Asian residents make up approximately 5.3 percent, and 3.6 percent of the City’s residents are Black or African American. The remainder of residents (approximately 6 percent) in the City are American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, Some Other Race, and Two or More Races.

The median household income in Riverside County and the City of Wildomar in 2020 were $70,732 and $76,791, respectively, while the median household income for the State of California in 2020 was $78,672. The majority of households in Riverside County (41 percent) and Wildomar (40.5 percent) earned $35,000 to $99,999 in 2020 (inflation adjusted dollars). See the  CalEnviroScreen  Disadvantaged Communities Map in Section 6, Air Quality, of this briefing book.

It was estimated that there were 8,800 jobs [1]  in Wildomar in 2020, and 1,200 unemployed individuals (a 6.6 unemployment rate) in 2021. The industry type and percentage of the employees in each industry is listed below [2] :

· Educational Services, and Health Care and Social Assistance: 17.83% · Construction: 14.13% · Retail Trade: 10.21% · Manufacturing: 10.00% · Professional, Scientific, and Management, and Administrative and Waste: 9.16% · Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services: 8.58% · Transportation and Warehousing, and Utilities: 7.38% · Public Administration: 5.92% · Other Services, Except Public Administration: 5.64% · Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 5.62% · Information: 2.22% · Wholesale Trade: 2.18% · Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting, and Mining: 1.25%

 [1]  Employment figures are from SCAG and differ from the employment figures provided by the US Census Bureau.

 [2]  Employment figures are from the US Census Bureau and differ from the employment figures provided by SCAG.

Pending

To ensure consistent design within the City that embodies Wildomar’s “hometown feel,” the City created the following design requirements:

·  Single-Family Residential Design Standards & Guidelines:  The Single-Family Residential Design Standards & Guidelines are for the use of those property owners and design professionals submitting development applications to the City of Wildomar Planning Department.

·  Multi-FamilyResidential Objective Design Standards:  The Multi-Family Residential Objective Design Standards are intended to provide developers, builders, and architects with a clear statement of the desired architectural and site design characteristics for new multi-family residential development in Wildomar that enhances the area’s unique character and raises the quality of design within the City.

·  Commercial Design Standards and Guidelines:  The Commercial Design Guidelines are intended to provide developers, builders, and architects with a clear statement of the desired architectural and site design characteristics for new commercial development in Wildomar that enhances the area’s unique character and raises the quality of design within the City.

·  Wildomar Old Town Vision:  The Wildomar Old Town Vision document provides conceptual design recommendations for property development and streetscape improvements in the core of Wildomar Old Town––a site with historic community significance at the intersection of Central Street and Palomar Street in Wildomar. The design concepts and recommendations are intended to guide new development toward creating a unique focal point for the community that: strengthens community identity; reflects the visual and cultural character of historic Wildomar; provides opportunities for commercial and mixed-use development as well as civic uses and public gathering places; and enables pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian travel.

When planning for future land uses in Wildomar, the jobs-housing balance is an important consideration, as the ratio of jobs to employed residents directly affects peoples’ ability to work and live in the same area. The City is housing-rich, with the number of housing units increasing at a faster rate than the number of jobs, as indicated above. Therefore, maintaining and expanding the jobs available to Wildomar residents will be important to avoid the need for Wildomar residents to commute to other parts of Western Riverside County and beyond.

The pattern of land use in Wildomar helps to define the City’s character and that of its individual neighborhoods. The map shows how land is currently designated for use in the City by the General Plan. Most of the land in Wildomar is designated for housing. Pockets of public land use, including City facilities, parks, and schools are distributed throughout the City. Commercial, office, and industrial uses are concentrated along major transportation corridors. The land use categories shown in the map cover a wide range of specific use types, such as the various residential types and densities (e.g., rural residential and high density residential) and commercial uses (e.g., commercial retail and commercial office).

The maps below show the General Plan Land Use Designations and Zoning Designations for parcels within the City.

The first step in addressing state housing needs is the Regional Housing Needs Plan, which is mandated by the State of California (California Government Code Section 65584) and requires regions to address housing issues and needs based on future growth projections for the area.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) allocates regional housing needs numbers to regional councils of governments throughout the state. The Regional Housing Needs Plan for Riverside County is developed by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and allocates to cities and the unincorporated county their “fair share” of the region’s projected housing needs, also known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). The Regional Housing Needs Plan allocates the RHNA based on household income groupings over the eight-year planning period for each specific jurisdiction’s  Housing Element .

The map below shows the Housing Opportunity Sites within the City that are available for the development of single-family homes and multifamily units.

The Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) is the main transit agency servicing western Riverside County including the City of Wildomar. RTA provides both local and regional services throughout the region with fixed-routes, CommuterLink routes, and Dial-A-Ride services. RTA bus routes 8 and 23 service the City, which are shown in the map below.

The City strives to plan, design, and operate transportation facilities that provide safe travel for all users including children, elderly, or people with disabilties, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit vehicles, and other vehicles. The infrastructure network that supports non-motorized transportation includes sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals and signs, accessible curb ramps, bikeways, and bicycle racks.

There are three types of pedestrian facilities in the City:

· District: The District route type is reserved for the areas with the greatest anticipated pedestrian activity due to the proximity to existing or planned commercial/retail, high ridership transit stops, and higher density residential uses. Areas designated as Districts receive the greatest level of pedestrian enhancements. In addition to the Connector and Corridor route type features, Districts features may also include wide sidewalks (>8’), increased landscaping and buffers from the roadway, decorative crosswalks, pedestrian street furnishings, and curb extensions at crossing locations.

· Corridor: The Corridor route type is designated along roadways that support commercial businesses, shopping districts, schools, parks, and high ridership transit stops. Moderate pedestrian activity is anticipated in these areas, necessitating more enhanced features to support pedestrians. Corridor features consist of those identified under the Connector route type, and may include the addition of wider sidewalks (>5’), pedestrian countdown signal heads with lead pedestrian intervals at signalized intersection, and high visibility crosswalks with advance stop bars at marked crossing locations. Pedestrian scaled lighting may also be appropriate in some areas.

· Connector: The Connector route type is designated for roadways with low pedestrian activity and moderate to high levels of vehicular traffic. Connectors help bridge the gap between residential neighborhoods, Corridor route types, and final destinations. This designation makes up the greatest portion of the pedestrian route type system. The Connector route type is intended to consist of standard sidewalks with accessible curb ramps and marked crosswalks with advance stop bars at signalized intersections.

As with residents in the rest of the County, a majority (43.5%) of employed Wildomar residents spend approximately 10 to 29 minutes commuting to work. Unlike the 19.1 percent of employed Riverside County residents that spend 60 minutes or more commuting to work, 24.6 percent of employed Wildomar residents spend 60 minutes or more commuting to work.

·  Fire Protection Services:  CAL FIRE/Riverside County provides fire protection services for residents and businesses in the City. Wildomar Fire Station 61 is located at 32637 Gruwell Street.

·  Police Protection Services:  The Riverside County Sheriff's Department provides police protection services for the City. The Wildomar Police Department is located in City Hall at 23873 Clinton Keith Road.

·  Library Services:  The Wildomar Library, which is 5,578 square feet, provides traditional services plus public computers and copying. The Library is located at 34303 Mission Trail.

·  School Services:  The Lake Elsinore Unified School District operates the following schools within the City:

· Reagan Elementary School: 35445 Porras Road · Graham Elementary School: 35450 Frederick Street · Wildomar Elementary School: 21575 Palomar Road · Collier Elementary School: 20150 Mayhall Drive · Brown Middle School: 21861 Grand Avenue · Elsinore High School: 21800 Canyon Drive

·  Bureau of Land Management : In California, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees public lands that extend across rangelands, forests, high mountains, and deserts. There are BLM-controlled lands in the eastern portion of the City.

·  Parks and Trails Services:  The City of Wildomar has four parks (Marna O’Brien Park, Regency-Heritage Park, Windsong Park, and Malaga Park) providing recreation opportunities for its residents on over 15 acres of parklands. Two additional parks are in the planning process (27 Acre Park and 11 Acre Park). The City also has multi-use trails.

Wastewater

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) Sewer District provides  wastewater services  for the City of Wildomar, as well as the Cities of Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, portions of the City of Murrieta, and unincorporated portions of Riverside County. The “backbone” of the system consists of trunk sewers, generally 10 inches in diameter and larger, that convey the collected wastewater to EVMWD’s Water Reclamation Facilities (WRFs). The existing wastewater collection system consists of over 406 miles of pipes (force mains and gravity), 38 active lift stations, and three WRFs.

EVMWD currently operates three wastewater reclamation facilities: the Regional WRF, Horsethief Canyon WRF, and Railroad Canyon WRF. In addition, wastewater flow in the southern part of EVMWD’s service area is treated at the Santa Rosa WRF operated by the Rancho California Water District (RCWD).

The Regional WRF service area contains 29 lift stations, the Railroad Canyon WRF service area contains seven lift stations, and the Horsethief Canyon service area contains two lift stations. A majority of the EVMWD’s wastewater collection system consists of 8-inch through 15-inch-diameter collector and trunk sewer lines. Additionally, EVMWD has two major interceptor sewers ranging in size from 12 inches to 27 inches in diameter. The EVMWD’s system also contains 50 force mains, with diameters ranging in size from 4 inches to 16 inches.

Water

 Water service  is provided by EVMWD which provides public water service, water supply development, water planning, wastewater treatment and disposal, and water recycling. EVMWD is a Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) member agency and Western Municipal Water District (WMWD) sub-agency. EVWMD’s service area encompasses approximately 96 square miles in the Elsinore Valley area. Located in southwestern Riverside County and eastern Orange County, EVMWD provides water services to its Elsinore and Temescal Divisions, which comprise the Cities of Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake, portions of Wildomar and Murrieta, and unincorporated portions of Riverside County and Orange County.

EVMWD has three primary sources of potable water supply:

1. Local groundwater pumped from District-owned wells (which accounts for approximately 33 percent of the supply from 1992-2013 years)

2. Surface water from Canyon Lake Reservoir and treated by the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant (which accounts for approximately 10 percent of the supply from 1992-2013)

3. Imported water purchased from MWD through WMWD (which accounts for approximately 57 percent of the supply from 1993-2013).

In addition, EVMWD has access to several additional water sources through its acquisition of the Temescal Water Company assets in 1989. These consist of groundwater from the Bunker Hill, Rialto-Colton, Riverside North, Bedford, Coldwater, and Lee Lake Basins, and surface water from Temescal Creek and several tributary creeks.

EVMWD has a recycled water network that delivers non-potable recycled water to customers in four different service areas. Three of the service areas are supplied by EVMWD-owned WRFs, and one recycled water service area is supplied from the Santa Rosa WRF owned by Rancho California Water District. EVMWD supplies recycled water to the Canyon Lake Golf Course in the Railroad Canyon service area during peak summer demands. All three of EVMWD’s reclamation facilities can produce recycled water quality water.

EVMWD purchases water from WMWD from two different sources. One source of the water purchased from WMWD is treated at MWD's Skinner Filtration Plant, which blends primarily Colorado River water and a small amount of State Project Water. The other source of water EVMWD received from WMWD is imported from the Temescal Valley Pipeline (TVP). The TVP delivers State Water Project Water (SWP) treated at MWD’s Mills Filtration Plant.

Storm Drainage

The City lies within the Santa Ana River and Santa Maria River watersheds. Most of the City’s average 12-inches of precipitation falls during December, January, and February. To help with flood management, the City’s storm drainage system directs excess stormwater to storage areas and natural waterways.

Solid Waste

CR&R collects solid waste and provides recycling services to the City of Wildomar. All solid non-hazardous waste from the City is processed at CR&R Environmental Services and transferred to the Perris transfer station, where recyclable material is separated from other solid waste. Non-hazardous solid waste from the City is disposed of at five landfills with El Sobrante Sanitary Landfill receiving approximately 83 percent of all landfilled waste.

CR&R has an extensive network of processing facilities that manage waste for residents of Wildomar. This includes solid waste, recyclables, green waste, food waste, construction and demolition waste, electronic waste and a number of other materials.

There are 36 solid waste diversion programs in Wildomar, including composting, facility recovery, household hazardous waste, policy incentives, public education, recycling, source reduction programs, and special waste materials programs including white goods, scrap metal, wood waste, concrete/asphalt/rubble, and tires.

The California Department of Conservation manages the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program (FMMP) which supports agriculture throughout California by developing maps and statistical data for analyzing land use impacts to farmland. The FMMP categorizes land by agricultural production potential according to the following classifications:

· Prime Farmland has the best combination of physical and chemical features able to sustain long term agricultural production. This land has the soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply needed to produce sustained high yields. Land must have been used for irrigated agricultural production at some time during the four years prior to the mapping date.

· Unique Farmland consists of lesser quality soils used for the production of the state’s leading agricultural crops. This land is usually irrigated, but may include nonirrigated orchards or vineyards as found in some climatic zones in California. Land must have been farmed at some time during the four years prior to the mapping date.

· Farmland of Local Importance includes all farmable land within the County not meeting the definitions of “prime farmland,” “farmland of statewide importance,” and “unique farmland” and not irrigated. This includes land that is not covered by above categories but is of high economic importance to the community. These farmlands include dryland grains of wheat, barley, oats, and dryland pasture.

· Urban and Built-Up Land is occupied by structures with a building density of at least one unit per 1.5 acres, or approximately six structures to a 10-acre parcel. Common examples include residential structures, industrial structures, commercial structures, institutional facilities, cemeteries, airports, golf courses, sanitary landfills, sewage treatment structures, and water control structures.

The map below shows the farmland designations in the City of Wildomar.

The map below shows the breakdown of vegetation cover type in the City.

Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP)

An MSCHP provides a streamlined process for impacts to federal and/or state Endangered Species as well as other special-status species that are not Endangered but in decline. For this to happen, the species has to be a covered species under the MSHCP. When all agencies established the MSHCP, it was decided which species pose the biggest issue for development and how a streamlined approach could be established where impacts to these species can occur in certain areas of the MSHCP boundary, while conservation of the species occurs in other areas of the MSHCP boundary.

The map below shows the MSHCP lands in the City.

Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat (SKR)

The Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency (RCHCA) has a Section 10A permit granted by US Fish and Wildlife Service for SKR. This permit allows for “take” of SKR as part of development activity. “Take” is defined by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as any attempt to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct as it relates to SKR. As individual projects are proposed and approved in the SKR Plan Area, public and private land developers are required to pay a SKR mitigation fee for land that is developed and removed habitat of SKR. Wildomar is a member jurisdiction.

The map below shows the SKR Plan Fee and Habitat boundaries in the City.

Wetlands

The map below shows the designated wetlands in the City.

The City of Wildomar is in an area where both the Pechanga and Soboba Tribes consider part of their ancestral lands. The City enjoys a good working relationship with the tribes and consults with them for development projects.  

Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians is a federally recognized tribe of the Luiseno Indians based in Riverside County. For more than 10,000 years, the Pechanga People have called the Temecula Valley home.

More information about the Tribe can be found here:  https://www.pechanga-nsn.gov/ 

Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians

The people of Soboba have lived within the present day San Jacinto Valley and surrounding areas. The Soboba Indian Reservation, home to both Luiseno and Cahuilla people, is nestled in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains near the City of San Jacinto, California.

Today, the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians is a federally-recognized tribal government that exercises our right to self-governance and self-determination. The results of exercising these rights can be seen in both our tribal government and our business enterprises. Diversification within our many business enterprises have allowed us to support the well-being of our Tribal Members by providing a wide range of services through tribal government programs. This is seen through our Tribal Administration such as the Soboba Fire Department, Public Works, Cultural Programs and many others.

More information about the Tribe can be found here:  https://www.soboba-nsn.gov/ 

Wildomar had been an outpost for the pony express for the Butterfield Stage, and in the early part of this century, a stop for the Southern California Railroad. After the tracks washed out, growth in the area slowed and Wildomar remained a farming and ranching area, including a large number of horse ranches.

The map below shows the location of the following historic resources.

33751 Mission Trail

The building located at 33751 Mission Trail is one of the oldest public buildings in the area and was formerly the office space for Wildomar Incorporation Now (WIN). The building was once leased by the Wildomar Chamber of Commerce before they merged with Murrieta to become the  Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce . This building served the community in one capacity or another for over 10 years before the merger.

Originally on Lemon Street, the building was moved to is present location in 1895 as the railroad tracks ran behind the building, and the building was to be a stop for the railroad. Once the railroad no longer ran through Wildomar, the building found other uses. In 1993, the Animal Friends of the Valleys and the Chamber brought the building back into a serviceable condition, and have shared the building since.

The Bell and Wildomar Elementary School

One of the first items of business at the new town site of Wildomar in 1886 was to build a grammar school. The founders (William Collier, Donald Graham, and Margaret Collier Graham) donated the land and Wildomar Elementary School was built in the downtown area. The present-day school is still at this original location. A bell was installed in the tower to call the students to class.

As was typical of school bells in 1880s, the bell, clapper, and frame are made of cast iron. Legend has it that the bell brought to Wildomar along the newly laid railroad tracks that passed by on Front Street a few blocks away. Once mounted in the tower, the bell was rung by a rope that passed inside the school room. Occasionally, the bell would hang up when pulled too vigorously. This happened often enough that a ladder was permanent nailed on the outside of the building along the slope of the roof.

When the old two-room schoolhouse was torn down, the bells was removed from the tower. Contributions from the community and school helped fund a monument to house the bell.

The bell is located at the corner of Palomar Street and Wildomar Trail on the grounds of Wildomar Elementary School.

Disadvantaged Communities

The map below shows local “disadvantaged communities” that are disproportionately burdened by sources of pollution. These areas were mapped using the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool, or “ CalEnviroScreen ,” a tool advocated by community groups and developed on behalf of the California Environmental Protection Agency. In Wildomar, the most common sources of pollution are freeways and high-traffic roads and gas stations.

CalEnviroScreen measures pollution and population characteristics using  20 indicators , such as air and drinking water quality, waste sites, toxic emissions, asthma rates, and poverty. It applies a formula to generate a score that rates the level of cumulative impacts on each area. The top 25 percent of the CalEnviroScreen disadvantaged community rankings are considered by the State to be disadvantaged communities. However, local jurisdictions may refine the boundaries of these communities and identify additional communities, if appropriate, to support planning efforts to improve environmental justice.

The map below shows local “disadvantaged communities" that are disproportionately burdened by sources of pollution where the higher numbers represent more exposure whereas the lower numbers represent less exposure.

Senate Bill 1000

In September 2016, then-Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000), which added a new requirement for local jurisdictions to address environmental justice as a required topic in the General Plan. By law, the City’s General Plan Update will be required to identify:

· Objectives and policies to reduce the unique or compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities, including reducing pollution exposure, improving air quality, and promoting public  facilities, food access, safe and sanitary homes, and physical activity.

· Objectives and policies to promote civil engagement in the public decision-making process.

· Objectives and policies that prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities.

The following Mineral Resource Zone (MRZ) categories are used by the State Geologist in classifying the State’s lands:

· MRZ-1: Areas where adequate geologic information indicates that no significant mineral deposits are present, or where it is judged that little likelihood exists for their presence. This zone is applied where well developed lines of reasoning, based on economic-geologic principles and adequate data, indicate that the likelihood for occurrence of significant mineral deposits is nil or slight.

· MRZ-2a: Areas underlain by mineral deposits where geologic data show that significant measured or indicated resources are present. Areas classified MRZ-2a contain discovered mineral deposits that either measures or indicated reserves as determined by such evidence as drilling records, sample analysis, surface exposure, and mine information. Land included in the MRZ-2a category is of prime importance because it contains known economic mineral deposits. A typical MRZ-2a area would include an operating mine, or an area where extensive sampling indicates the presence of a significant mineral deposit.

· MRZ-2b: Areas underlain by mineral deposits where geologic information indicates that significant inferred resources are present. Areas classified MRZ-2b contain discovered deposits that are either inferred reserves or deposits that are presently sub-economic as determined by limited sample analysis, exposure, and past mining history. Further exploration work and/or changes in technology or economics could result in upgrading areas classified MRZ-2b to MRZ-2a.

· MRZ-3a: Areas containing known mineral deposits that may qualify as mineral resources. Further exploration work within these areas could result in the reclassification of specific localities into the MRZ-2a or MRZ-2b categories. MRZ-3a areas are considered to have a moderate potential for the discovery of economic mineral deposits.

· MRZ-3b: Areas containing inferred mineral deposits that may qualify as mineral resources. Land classified MRZ-3b represents areas in geologic settings which appear to be favorable environments for the occurrence of specific mineral deposits. Further exploration work could result in the reclassification of all or part of these areas into the MRZ-3a category or specific localities into the MRZ-2a or MRZ-2b categories. MRZ-3b is applied to land where geologic evidence leads to the conclusion that it is plausible that economic mineral deposits are present.

· MRZ-4: Areas where geologic information does not rule out either the presence or absence of mineral resources. The distinction between the MRZ-1 and MRZ-4 categories is important for land use considerations. It must be emphasized that MRZ-4 classification does not imply that there is little likelihood for the presence of mineral resources, but rather there is a lack of knowledge regarding mineral occurrence. Further exploration work could well result in the reclassification of land in MRZ- areas to MRZ-3 or MRZ-2 categories.

The entire City is within MRZ-3 as shown in the map below.

The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) flood zones are geographic areas that FEMA has defined according to varying levels of flood risk. A flood risk is any relatively high streamflow overtopping the natural or artificial banks in any reach of a stream. Each zone reflects the severity or type of flooding in the area.

Moderate to Low Risk Areas

· Zone B and X: Between the limits of the 100-year and 500-year floodplains, area with a 0.2 percent (or 1 in 500 chance) annual chance of flooding. This zone is also used to designate base floodplains of lesser hazards, such as areas protected by levees from 10 year flood, or shallow flooding areas with average depths of less than one foot or drainage areas less than 1 square mile.

· Zone C and X: 500-year floodplain, area of minimal flood hazard.

High Risk Areas

· Zone A: 100-year floodplain, areas with a 1 percent annual chance of flooding. Because detailed analyses are not performed for such areas, no depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones.

· Zone AE: 100-year floodplain, the base floodplain where base flood elevations are provided.

· Zone AH: 100-year floodplain, areas with a 1 percent annual chance of shallow flooding, usually in the form of a pond, with an average depth ranging from 1 to 3 feet. Flood elevations derived from detailed analyses are shown at selected intervals within these zones.

· Zone AO: 100-year floodplain, river or stream flood hazard areas, and areas with a 1 percent or greater chance of shallow flooding each year, usually in the form of sheet flow, with an average depth ranging from 1 to 3 feet. Average flood depths derived from detailed analyses are shown within these zones.

· Zone AR: Areas with a temporarily increased flood risk due to the building or restoration of a flood control system (such as a levee or a dam).

· Zone A99: 100-year floodplain, areas with a 1 percent annual chance of flooding that will be protected by a Federal flood control system where construction has reached specified legal requirements. No depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones.

Undetermined Risk Areas

· Zone D: Areas with possible but undetermined flood hazards. No flood hazard analysis has been conducted. Flood insurance rates are commensurate with the uncertainty of the flood risk.

As shown in the map below, portions of the southwestern part of the City are within the 100-year and 500-year floodplains. The portions of Lake Elsinore that bound the northwestern portion of the City are within 100-year and 500-year floodplains.

Historically, earthquakes in California have occasionally proven extremely destructive. Earthquakes usually occur without warning and, after just a few seconds, can cause massive damage and sometimes casualties. The most common effect of earthquakes is ground motion, usually felt as shaking and vibrations.

Numerous earthquakes occur each year along California’s major faults. The active faults that have the most potential to impact the Wildomar area include the Elsinore and County Fault Zones, as shown in the map below.

Inundation occurs when there is a break in a dam and water is released, washing downstream and causing flooding. While such events are extremely rare, they have occurred in California, and climate change may increase the risk by causing more intense storms that could cause reservoirs to exceed their design capacity. As shown in the map below, the City of Wildomar is not in a dam inundation zone, however, the portion of Lake Elsinore that bounds the northwestern portion of the City is in an inundation zone.

Wildfires are deadly and can cause catastrophic damage to property, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Under the right conditions, a small fire can quickly grow into an enormous, rapidly-moving blaze. The air pollution from wildfires can also cause health problems for people hundreds of miles away, and recently-burned areas are more susceptible to flooding and landslides. Climate change is expected to increase the size, frequency, and intensity of wildfires throughout California. The map below shows the fire hazard severity zones in the City; a majority of the City is within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone under local responsibility.

Landslides and debris flows can be caused by heavy rains or earthquakes, and there is a higher risk of them occurring on hillsides that have recently burned. They can cause significant damage and injuries, and may also break storage tanks and release hazardous materials. They can also block transportation routes, creating traffic problems and potentially cutting off access to some areas. Most landslides occur rapidly, although some hillsides may slide more gradually. Stronger storms and an increase in wildfires because of climate change may lead to more landslides and debris flows in the future. The map below shows the areas with landslide potential in the City.

Liquefaction takes place when loosely packed, water-logged sediments at or near the ground surface lose their strength in response to strong ground shaking. Liquefaction occurring beneath buildings and other structures can cause major damage during earthquakes. The map below shows the liquefaction zones in the City.

The topography in the City varies, with some areas being unsuitable for building due to the steep slopes. The map below shows the contour lines in the City.