Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Rainbow MWD accepts grant deed for sewer lift station

The agreement for the Rainbow Municipal Water District to provide sewer service to the Rio Estrella development also known as Golf Green Estates included the Rainbow district obtaining one of the lots for a sewer lift station. Rainbow's board voted 5-0 June 26 to accept the grant deed for the Schoolhouse Lift Station parcel.

The county's Planning Commission approved the Golf Green Estates tentative parcel map and site plan in 2013. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a final map to subdivide the 29-acre parcel into 94 residential lots ranging from 6,000 to 19,113 square feet and eight homeowners' association lots in September 2016, and the county supervisors' action also approved a security agreement to cover completion of the infrastructure including water and sewer facilities. The 11 legal parcels were owned by San Luis Rey Downs Enterprises, LLC, when the Planning Commission approved the tentative map and were subsequently sold to Development Solutions Bon, LLC,

San Luis Rey Downs Enterprises, LLC, submitted a sewer permit application for 116 equivalent dwelling units along with payment of $1,777,700 in November 2005. The sewer permit was renewed periodically even though the development was not constructed, and the sewer permit was most recently renewed March 23, 2016.

In 2015 Rainbow's board approved a joint use agreement with the county of San Diego, the Bonsall Unified School District, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the ownership of Golf Green Estates which focused on utility rights. An existing Rainbow easement crosses a future public right of way the project will dedicate, and the county requires that its future right of way be free of any existing encumbrances. The Rainbow easement crossed the existing sewer line near Old River Road and the future Calle de Las Estrellas, and the agreement allowed Rainbow to maintain utility rights for the portion within the county right of way.

An agreement approved by Rainbow's board in May 2016 focused on water and sewer infrastructure to be provided by the developer to serve the project and to realign the existing facilities.

The on-site improvements will include approximately 5,475 feet of water main and 4,618 feet of sewer main. The joint agreement approved by the Board of Supervisors in September 2016 included a $1,543,800 performance bond to ensure completion of the improvements which covered $814,200 for water facilities and $726,600 for sewer infrastructure. That agreement does not cover capacity fees which are charged to developers to cover the new development's share of existing infrastructure; Rainbow expects to receive approximately $3.7 million from water and wastewater capacity fees.

Rainbow's board voted 5-0 in December 2017 to honor the $1,777,700 previously paid for 116 equivalent dwelling units of sewer capacity and to require Development Solutions Bon, LLC, to pay the full amount of sewer fees required to serve Rio Estrella. That action also granted the district property rights to one of the lots in exchange for additional capacity credit equal to the lot's $247,035 value.

The Schoolhouse Lift Station lot is at Old River Road and Calle de Las Estrellas. The capacity fees from San Luis Rey Downs Enterprises and from developers of other projects will be used to fund the Schoolhouse Lift Station construction. The actual contract to build the lift station be discussed at a future Rainbow board meeting.

"We're hoping to get started in early 2019," said Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy.

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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