RMWD approves water system construction agreement

The Rainbow Municipal Water District board approved an agreement for the construction of a water system which will serve the Topa Topa Place development.

The Rainbow board voted 5-0, March 27, to approve the joint agreement between the Rainbow district, the county of San Diego and Frulla to provide water service for the 11-lot subdivision.

“That’s just a fairly standard agreement with the developer for construction of water facilities,” Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy said.

The 44.17-acre subdivision is on the east side of Old Highway 395, east of Interstate 15 and includes areas both north and south of Mission Road as it intersects with Old Highway 395. The land is owned by Frulla, which owns the wedding venue at Fallbrook Hacienda, and has limited agriculture zoning.

In March 2010, the county’s planning commission approved a tentative map and an environmental Mitigated Negative Declaration to subdivide the parcel into 11 residential lots ranging from two to four acres. Approximately four acres will be preserved within permanent biological open space, and another four acres will be preserved within steep slope open space easements; the open space provides for a habitat corridor for California gnatcatchers and also covers a drainage which runs along the northwest corner of the site.

A tentative parcel map can be recorded as a final map after all conditions of the tentative map, other than those for which permits cannot be issued until a final map is recorded, are fulfilled. The conditions of a final map include secured agreements to ensure that the infrastructure will be built and that payment for labor and materials used to build the infrastructure will be made.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the final map in September 2017 along with a secured agreement, which includes $144,100 to ensure construction of the water facilities, as well as a labor and material bond to guarantee payment for labor and materials involved in the construction of the improvements. Septic systems will be used for sanitation, so the Rainbow district is not involved in sewer facilities.

The joint agreement identifies the major water improvements to be installed for the subdivision. The construction plans include 538 feet of 12-inch water main and appurtenances, 143 feet of eight-inch water main and appurtenances, nine water services and five fire hydrants. Frulla and the contractor will provide insurance certificates before construction, which is expected to begin within the next six months.