Riverside County plans to hand off easement interests along the Tucalota Channel near Murrieta Hot Springs to its flood control district. Property owners along the channel will not lose access to their land.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on Oct. 6 to schedule a public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 17, to approve quitclaim deeds transferring the county's easement interests in portions of the channel to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Valley News reported.

The Tucalota Channel crosses Willows Avenue east of Winchester Road. According to the Valley News report, vacating the public road and drainage easements will not eliminate access to any parcels or affect residents and businesses in the area. The county's Transportation Department reviewed the proposal and raised no objections.

Why the transfer?

The county and the flood control district are separate legal entities, even though the same five supervisors sit on both boards. Flood control district staff requested the transfer.

The roots of the arrangement go back decades. In the mid-1990s, property interests in portions of the Tucalota Channel were conveyed to the county for public road and utility uses. A 2001 agreement between the county and the flood control district included a clause that the county would convey portions of the Tucalota Creek Channel for ownership, operation and maintenance by the district.

The county does not currently maintain the Tucalota Channel. The quitclaim would formalize a commitment the county made a quarter-century ago but has not yet carried out.

What residents should know

The Nov. 17 hearing gives Murrieta Hot Springs area property owners a chance to weigh in before the Board of Supervisors votes on the quitclaim deeds. The exact time and public comment procedures for the hearing were not detailed in available records.

Residents along Willows Avenue and Winchester Road who have questions about the easement transfer can monitor the Board of Supervisors agenda for the Nov. 17 meeting on the county's website.