Category: Environment

A storm of community dissent and heated exchanges marked the recent City Council meeting as the proposed West Coast Boulevard and Locust Avenue Warehouse Project faced fierce opposition from residents and advocacy groups. The 225,173-square-foot industrial warehouse, proposed by Rialto Springs LLC, has ignited concerns over environmental impact, traffic congestion, and the potential for public health risks, with detractors calling for a halt to the city’s increasingly warehouse-dominated landscape. The project, planned for the southeast corner of Locust Avenue and West Coast Boulevard, would consolidate six parcels into a singular 11.19-acre lot. While the lower two-thirds of the site is currently a contractor’s storage yard, the northern third remains undeveloped. Under the plan, the warehouse would sit just 108 feet from residences to the north and between 86 and 101 feet from homes to the east. Concerns of Environmental and Traffic Impact Key among the objections is the project’s anticipated environmental impact. Ana Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), filed an appeal after the Planning Commission voted 3-1 on August 7, 2024, to approve the project. Gonzalez, representing

On October 1, 2024, the City of Rialto, in partnership with BDP EnviroTech and a $1.56 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC), will showcase the results of the Biological Double Efficiency Process (BDP), an innovative wastewater treatment technology developed by BDP EnviroTech. This cutting-edge technology will showcase how it has demonstrated significant improvements in energy efficiency and water conservation compared to traditional wastewater treatment methods. The demonstration project, partially funded by a $370,000 grant from the State Water Resources Control Board, incorporated BDP EnviroTech’s proprietary process along with Nano-Bubble technologies. Together, an experiment located in Rialto’s Wastewater Treatment Plant separate from the Plant’s normal operations over the past year has provided the potential for a high-efficiency, cost-effective solution for treating wastewater. Mayor Deborah Robertson expressed her support, stating, “Thanks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I was instrumental in getting a resolution passed that establishes the importance of water in our environmental strategy. A subsequent nine-page resolution adopted during the annual General Assembly of SCAG recognized water as an essential element in land use, housing, and sustainable community planning.” The results of the