In the wake of a devastating landslide in Rolling Hills Estates, a neighborhood in Anaheim might be about to lose the protections that have been saving them from a similar fate.
A groundwater pump system financed by the city of Anaheim has been protecting hundreds of homes in Anaheim Hills since 1993, when earth movement forced the evacuation of nearly 50 homes in the neighborhood. The system pumps out thousands of gallons of water a day to stabilize the soil and prevent another landslide.
But city spokesman Mike Lyster says the funding for the project is almost exhausted.
“$3.5 million that the city bestowed to operate the system back in 1999, that money is about to run out. And it is anticipated that it runs out in late 2023 or early 2024,” Lyster told KNX News’ Pete Demetriou. “With no money to operate the system, the system would stop functioning.”
Without protections in place, Lyster said geologists estimate the groundwater would rise to the same levels as the 1993 landslide in “a year and a half to two years.”
The future of the pump system rests on a self-imposed tax that homeowners in the danger area are voting on this week. The proposed tax, which ranges from $380 to $2,370 a year, would raise over $300,000 in funding to keep the pumps running while the city explores long-term solutions to stabilize the land.
This is the third time residents have voted on a similar proposal. The most recent attempt, in November 2022, failed with 90% of the weighted vote against the tax.
If the tax fails again, the pumps will cease operation by early 2024.
Residents have until Thursday to return their ballots. As of Wednesday, 164 of 306 ballots have been cast.
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