## *Petition to the Riverside County Supervisors*

 

### *Subject: Absolute Opposition to Proposed Cemetery Near Canyon Lake Drinking Water Reservoir*

 

*From: Residents of Meadowbrook, Canyon Lake, and the Surrounding Community*

 

---

 

### To:

The Honorable Jose Medina, Supervisor - Riverside County District 1

The Honorable Karen Spiegel, Supervisor - Riverside County District 2 

The Honorable Chuck Washington, Supervisor - Riverside County District 3

The Honorable Manuel Perez, Supervisor - Riverside County District 4

The Honorable Yxstian Gutierrez, Supervisor - Riverside County District 5

 

 

We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of Meadowbrook, Canyon Lake, and the surrounding areas call for the immediate and permanent rejection of any cemetery development—including but not limited to the proposed cemetery—located near the Canyon Lake Reservoir. This reservoir serves as a *designated public drinking water source*, and any burial site in its proximity poses an unacceptable risk to our health, safety, and environment.

 

---

 

## *Why This Proposal Must Be Rejected Permanently*

 

### *1. The Reservoir Is a Critical Drinking Water Supply*

 

Canyon Lake Reservoir, fed by the San Jacinto River and regional watersheds, is a vital source of potable water for our community. The proposed cemetery site lies within the watershed zone, putting it at risk of *surface runoff contamination*, especially during heavy rain or flooding. No mitigation, engineering, or assurances can fully eliminate this threat once burial operations begin.

 

---

 

### *2. Casket free open bottom vault direct ground Burial Practices — Incompatible with a Watershed Location*

 

We respect all traditions. However, the environmental implications of no casket open bottom vault direct ground burial customs, in this particular location, raise severe public health and ecological concerns:

 

* *Bodies are buried without embalming*, increasing the speed of decomposition and microbial activity.

* The deceased are laid to rest *in direct contact with the soil*, without protective caskets or full vaults, which facilitates direct seepage of organic material into surrounding earth and, eventually, water sources.

* The risk of bacterial, viral, or nutrient leaching is especially high in areas with shallow groundwater tables or permeable soils—both of which are present near Canyon Lake.

 

These burial practices are lawful and honorable in appropriate locations—but *entirely incompatible with a cemetery sited near a surface water reservoir* used for human consumption.

 

---

 

### *3. Our Drinking Water Safety Is Non-Negotiable*

 

Cemeteries do not belong near drinking water sources**. The long-term consequences of contamination from organic waste, bodily fluids, and decomposition byproducts cannot be reversed. A single miscalculation could lead to irreversible pollution of the reservoir, requiring massive taxpayer-funded cleanup and threatening public health.

 

---

 

## *Our Position: NO CEMETERY, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES*

 

This is not a zoning issue. This is not a religious issue. This is a *water safety issue*.

 

We, the residents of Meadowbrook, Canyon Lake, and surrounding communities, are united in our position:

 

### *Under no circumstances will we accept the development of a cemetery of any kind near our drinking water reservoir.*

 

---

 

## *Our Non-Negotiable Demands*

 

1. *Immediate rejection of the proposed cemetery application*, in full and with prejudice.

2. *Permanent prohibition of all cemetery developments* within a designated safety radius of Canyon Lake Reservoir.

3. *Reaffirmation by Riverside County of its duty to protect public water sources* from contamination risk by issuing a formal policy banning cemeteries near reservoirs, aquifers, or watershed basins.

4. *Active communication with the community* through public meetings and documentation to confirm that this proposal will not move forward, now or in the future.

 

---

 

## *We Will Not Compromise on Clean Water*

 

This petition is not about religious practices. It is not about zoning preferences. It is about *preserving the safety and purity of our community’s most critical resource: drinking water*.

 

We call on Supervisor Karen Spiegel and the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to uphold their duty to protect public health and the environment by **rejecting any cemetery development near Canyon Lake**—permanently.

 

---

  

*Signed,*

Residents of Meadowbrook, Canyon Lake and the Surrounding Area

Date: August 6, 2025