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Hemet to Palm Springs: The Dam Environment
A burning question raised by long time residents, "is there any relief in sight"?
Consider this spectacular engineering feet ...
Diamond Valley Lake is a 4,500-acre reservoir, which will hold more than 260 million gallons of water. Workers are excavating millions of cubic yards of dirt and rock while building the reservoir's three dams. Since construction began, they've unearthed Native American artifacts and fossilized remains (including the largest mastodon ever found).
It smelled like Jurassic park, the unearthing of a prehistoric time that hasn't seen the light of day for millions of years; then came the burning of the debris. How long will it last and at what cost to the local resident's health? Burning wild brush and debris openly is still in the books in Hemet, although outlawed as hazardous in many residential communities. Many people moved to Hemet to clear up respiratory problems and to ironically enjoy the desert air, but now, even on what would normally be clear days, the burning continues.
The seniors and youth complain, "the smell of burnt debris carries for miles, irritating the eyes, throat, and lungs". Members of the community wonder, "is there any relief insight"?
Hemet is no longer "little Hemet"...
Hemet is experiencing a population explosion. The escalation of dam tourism is a profit to some and a nuisance to others. Many Hemet residents, feel "there just isn't enough greenery and natural environment to handle the load. ... When I moved here there was no smog. Now we get bad air quality alerts."
In regards to the burning question and the impact of the population explosion, further environmental studies appear to be necessary to come up with solutions on how to keep the air clean and healthy around Diamond Valley Lake and in the surrounding Desert Resort Communities.
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