Colton City Council
March 17, 2026

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
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TABLE 5. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF RESIDENTS 25+ YEARS OF AGE Educational Attainment
Colton San Bernardino County
Number Percentage Number Percentage
Less than 9th grade 3,676 10.6% 117,765 8.5%
9th grade to 12th grade (no diploma) 4,617 13.4% 140,623 10.1% High school graduate or equivalent 10,798 31.3% 378,034 27.2% Some college (no degree) 6,874 19.9% 323,816 23.3%
Associate’s degree 2,498 7.2% 117,124 8.4%
Bachelor's degree 3,817 11.1% 201,183 14.5%
Graduate or professional degree 2,241 6.5% 110,197 8.5% Total 34,521 100% 1,388,742 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) – Colton and San Bernardino County.

Data does not include people living outside of Colton’s city limits but within the sphere of influence.

Slightly over half of Colton residents speak a language other than English at home, and most of these residents (approximately 45 percent of Colton’s total population) speak Spanish.

Approximately 2 percent of Colton’s residents speak Tagalog or another Pacific Island language.
9 For the Colton residents who do not speak English at home, approximately 35.6 percent say they speak English “less than very well.” Overall, approximately 17.5 percent of Colton residents say they do not speak English well. Table 6 shows English proficiency in Colton and San Bernardino County.

TABLE 6. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME AMONG RESIDENTS AGED 5+ YEARS 10
Languages
Colton San Bernardino County
Number
of
speakers
Speak
English
“less than
very well”
% not
fluent in
English
Number of
speakers
Speak
English
“less than
very well”
% not fluent
in English
English
only
24,313 _ _ 1,153,879 _ _
Spanish 24,340 8,643 35.5% 723,044 237,418 32.8%
Indo-
European*
613 171 27.9% 29,093 7,283 25.0%
Asian and
Pacific
Islander*
1,008 299 29.7% 109,024 50,873 46.7%
All other
languages
526 319 60.6% 20,594 6,700 32.5%
Total 50,800 9,432 35.6 % 2,035,634 302,274 34.3%**
*Census data does not break down the specific languages for languages spoken in these regions. **Due to these figures only being a percentage of the overall number of speakers, they will not add up to 100%.

9 US Census Bureau ACS: 2022 5- Year Estimates
10 U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) – Colton and San Bernardino County

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Economy and Commute Patterns
Colton has a history of industrial and transportation- related economic activities, and while jobs in these industries remain, they are not as dominant as they used to be. Approximately a third of jobs in Colton are in healthcare and social assistance. Educational services is the second - largest employer class, followed by warehouse and transportation, logistics, retail trade, and manufacturing. With a total employment base of 25,237 jobs for employees, the top 3 employers in the City include Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton Joint Unified School District, and the Wal-Mart Distribution Center. The list of the largest employers in the community, shown in Table 7. It reflects this increasingly diverse economy. Table 8 displays the top five cities of origin for Colton’s workforce, the largest number coming from San Bernardino and Riverside. Table 9 displays the average distance that Colton’s workforce commutes to the City; the majority travel less than ten miles to work every day.

TABLE 7. EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY IN COLTON
Industry Number of Jobs Percentage of Total
City Employment
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Health Care 3,877
Colton Joint Unified School District Education 2,302
Wal-Mart Distribution Center Warehouse/Transportation 926 Lineage Logistics Logistics 555
Ashley Furniture Manufacturing/Retail 409
Wal Mart Supercenter Retail 290
City of Colton Government 287
Reche Canyon Rehabilitation & Health Center Health Care 264 Chino Valley Ranchers Agriculture/Distribution 195
Stater Bros Market (2 Locations) Groceries/Retail 171 Total (Top 10 employers) 9,276 36.67%
Source: City of Colton (2023).

TABLE 8. TOP FIVE CITIES -OF-ORIGIN FOR COLTON ’S WORKFORCE (2021) City of Origin Number of Employees Percentage
San Bernardino 3,310 13.1%
Riverside 1,722 6.8%
Colton 1,468 5.8%
Ontario 1,294 5.1%
Rialto 1,272 5.0%
Total 9,066 35.9%
Source: https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/

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TABLE 9. WORK COMMUTE DISTANCES FOR COLTON RESIDENTS (2021) Work Destination Number of Employees Percentage
Less than 10 miles 11,003 43.6%
10 to 24 miles 6,349 25.2%
25 to 50 miles 4,095 16.2%
Greater than 50 miles 3,790 15.0%
Total 25,237 100%
Source: https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/

Although there are close to as many jobs in Colton as there are employed residents, commuting is very high in the community. Approximately 92 percent of Colton residents commute to other cities for work, primarily to San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, and other Inland Empire communities. Similarly, approximately 94 percent of people employed in Colton commute from other cities, mostly from San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Rialto , and other communities in the region. The highest concentrations of jobs in the community are at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in northwest Colton and in the Cooley Ranch neighborhood near the junction of Interstates 10 and 215 .
11 Existing Land Use
The land -use patterns in Colton are diverse, reflecting a wide range of residential and non - residential activities. Low -density, single-family homes occupy most residential land in Colton, although townhomes, condominiums, and apartments exist near the downtown. A range of commercial land uses exists downtown, around the Cooley Ranch neighborhood, and along the La Cadena Drive and Mount Vernon Avenue corridors. Industrial facilities are common in Colton, mostly below Interstate 10, although some exist in northern Colton along the BNSF railway line.

The Santa Ana River floodplain, along with many of the hilly areas in southern Colton, is a protected open space.
12 Development Trends
Several development projects are currently under construction or pending in Colton. As of the latest 2021-2029 Housing Element, these residential development projects total approximately 526 units approved and pending approval. This is only a portion of the state-required residential units allocated to the City. Approximately 1 million square feet of commercial space and approximately 9.9 million square feet of industrial or office space are under construction or pending. These developments also include 413 new hotel rooms, enough school space to accommodate 2,200 students, and a 122.7 -acre business park. Development of this Plan has taken this new development into account and is helping City staff make better land-use planning decisions as these projects continue through the entitlement process. As a result, the City has realized no additional risk from these developments since the preparation of the previous LHMP .

11 US Census Bureau OntheMap 2022, https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/ 12 Colton General Plan Land Use Map 2023

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Infrastructure Assessment
Colton’s key infrastructure networks (energy, water/wastewater, and transportation) are critical to the community’s health, safety, and welfare. Damage to these networks can deprive community members of key services and may also cause additional hazard eve nts, such as a downed power line that starts a wildfire.

ELECTRICITY
The City of Colton operates its own municipal electrical utility, supplying electricity to residents and businesses within the city limits as well as to unincorporated islands that lie within the community’s boundaries. Colton Electric Utility owns and ope rates its own power plant, five substations, three solar power facilities, and the entire electrical infrastructure , including the transmission and distribution lines within the City boundaries.

Electricity is delivered to Colton through a series of high -capacity power lines called transmission lines, which convey electricity (usually over large distances) from power plants.

Transmission lines connect to facilities called substations, which conver t the electricity to a lower voltage and distribute it to individual customers. Several major transmission lines run through Colton, mainly in the southern part of the community. The presence of multiple transmission lines and substations throughout Colton provides redundancy against major power outages. However, a significant hazard event that causes damage to multiple facilities could still result in a widespread loss of electrical service throughout the community. The utility serves approximately 16,818 residential customers and 3,399 commercial and industrial customers, with a peak load of 93 megawatts (93 million watts).

NATURAL GAS
Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), an investor -owned corporation, provides natural gas services in Colton. O ne major natural gas pipeline, owned by Southern California Gas (SoCalGas), runs through northern Colton along Mill Street.13 Damage to this pipeline could reduce access to natural gas services in Colton and create the risk of a gas leak, which in turn could cause further hazards due to the highly flammable and potentially explosive nature of natural gas. Various facilities, including three in the City of San Bernardino, help to keep natural gas running smoothly through these pipelines. 14

WATER AND WASTEWATER
Two water providers serve Colton . The City of Colton operates a municipal water agency that services approximately 90 percent of the City; another public agency, the West Valley Water District (WVWD), provides water service to the west of Pepper Avenue. The City of Colton receives its water entirely from local groundwater basins. The WVWD serves parts of four cities in the region as well as unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. It receives most of its water from local grou ndwater basins but also purchases water from three other s ources: water from the Sierra Nevada, delivered by the State Water Project; water from Lytle Creek near San

13 CEC. Natural Gas Pipeline: California natural gas pipeline [data table]. https://cecgis - caenergy.opendata.arcgis.com/
14 CEC. 2018d. Natural Gas Station: California natural gas station [data table]. https://cecgis - caenergy.opendata.arcgis.com/.

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Bernardino; and groundwater purchased from the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District. Figure 2 shows the sources of water from both agencies.

FIGURE 2. WATER SOURCES IN COLTON

Source: SBVMWD 2020

Most of the water used in Colton (all the water supplied by the City and approximately 96 percent of the water provided by WVWD) comes from local groundwater basins. Groundwater basins are generally more resilient than other sources of water ; however, damage to wells and local pipelines can affect water service. Underground aquifers may also run dry or recede from lump intakes when users overdraw the aquifers over a long period, such as during a drought.

Water from local surface water bodies is vulnerable to similar types of disruption. Imported water from the State Water Project must travel hundreds of miles through an extensive network of pipes, aqueducts, reservoirs, and pumping stations. This expands the opportunities for a hazard event to disrupt imported water service.

In the event of a catastrophic water shortage, the City can purchase water from surrounding agencies so it can continue to provide some level of service (substantial water use regulations will likely be implemented). The WVWD has a sufficient supply to meet residential demand even during single or consecutive dry years. The WVWD is also able to procure water from surrounding agencies through emergency connections.
15 The City provides wastewater service in Colton, which also provides wastewater service for Grand Terrace and nearby unincorporated areas. Colton owns and operates the sewer lines that collect wastewater, the pump stations that convey it, and a wastewater t reatment plant on South Rancho Avenue. The treated wastewater is pumped to a facility in San Bernardino, where it undergoes further treatment before being discharged into the Santa Ana River. 16 Damage to

15 Integrated Regional Urban Water Management Plan, West Valley Water District, 2020 16 Integrated Regional Urban Water Management Plan, West Valley Water District, 2020 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
West Valley Water District
City of Colton
Local groundwater Local groundwater (purchased)
Local surface water Imported water (State Water Project)

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the City-owned sewer system or treatment facilities could reduce treatment capacity or cause a leak, which could potentially create a health hazard to humans or the environment .

TRANSPORTATION
There are two major freeways in Colton.
• Interstate 10 runs east -west through the middle of the City, with four lanes in each direction. To the west, Interstate 10 runs through the San Gabriel Valley and downtown Los Angeles before ending in Santa Monica. To the east, the freeway runs toward Redlands, Palm Springs , and the Coachella Valley, and eventually to Arizona and states beyond.
• Interstate 215 runs north -south through southeast Colton, with five lanes in each direction. To the south, Interstate 215 connects to Interstate 15 near Temecula, providing access to the San Diego region. To the north, it connects to Interstate 15 north of San Bernardino, eventually running north to Victorville, Barstow, and Nevada and states beyond.

Other prominent freeways in the region include Interstate 15, State Route 60, State Route 91, and State Route 210. Key east -west surface streets include Valley Boulevard and San Bernardino Avenue/Olive Street. Major north -south surface streets include Pepper Avenue, Rancho Avenue, La Cadena Drive, and Mount Vernon Avenue. Figure 3 shows the major evacuation routes in Colton.

During an emergency, most Colton residents have multiple potential evacuation routes. This would help to expedite an evacuation, although if the need to evacuate occurs during peak commute times, congestion on the freeways could interfere with an effective evacuation. The Reche Canyon neighborhood is of greater concern, as Reche Canyon Road is the only route in and out of this area. If this road is blocked or otherwise inaccessible, evacuations would likely be constrained and could be impossible by car.

Public transit in Colton is primarily provided by Omnitrans, the regional agency that provides bus service throughout the San Bernardino Valley. Seven Omnitrans bus routes serve stops in Colton, connecting to key hubs in surrounding communities.17 The Victor Valley Transit Authority provides a bus route that stops at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and connects San Bernardino Valley communities to the Victor Valley and Barstow areas .18 Railroads played a pivotal role in the establishment of Colton, and they continue to be an important presence in the community. There are two major rail lines in Colton: the east -west Union Pacific railroad running along Interstate 10, and the north -south BNSF railroad running parallel to La Cadena Drive. Smaller spur lines connect industrial facilities throughout Colton to the main rail lines. Union Pacific operates a rail yard in west Colton, and BNSF operates one north of the community in San Bernardino. Metrolink commuter trains and long-distance Amtrak trains run through Colton but do not stop. The nearest passenger train stations are in San Bernardino, Rialto, and Riverside.

17 Omnitrans 2025 https://omnitrans.org/
18 Victor Valley Transit 2025 https://vvta.org/

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There is no airport in Colton. Currently, the nearest airports with commercial service are Ontario International Airport, approximately 16 miles west of Colton, and San Bernardino International Airport, located approximately 4 miles northeast of Colton.

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FIGURE 3. COLTON EVACUATION ROUTES

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CHAPTER 3 –

RISK ASSESSMENT
Risk assessment is the process of measuring the potential impact to life, property, and the economy resulting from natural hazards. The risk assessment intends to identify—as much as practicable, given existing, available data—the qualitative and quantitative vulnerabilities of a community. The results of the risk assessment provide a foundation for developing and prioritizing mitigation actions to reduce damage from natural hazards through improved preparedness and response times, as well as better allocation of resources to areas of greatest vulnerability.

This risk assessment section evaluates the potential loss from each hazard by assessing the vulnerability of buildings, infrastructure, and people to its effects. It identifies the characteristics and potential consequences of hazards, how much of the community a hazard could affect, and its impact on the community’s population and assets. The risk assessment approach consists of two components:
• Hazard Identification: Identification and screening of hazards. • Hazard Profiles: Review of historical occurrences and assessment of the potential for future events.

Hazard Identification

HAZARD SCREENING CRITERIA
FEMA guidance identifies several hazards that communities should consider addressing in their hazard mitigation plans. The California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) contains additional hazards that may be worth including. Regional hazard plans and rec ords of past disasters are other potential sources for hazards to consider. The Planning Team reviewed an extensive list of hazards before deciding which ones to include in this LHMP . Table 10 shows the hazards considered by the Planning Team, and why they were or were not included. The table also shows which source proposed the hazard for consideration ..

TABLE 10. HAZARD EVALUATION FOR COLTON LHMP
Hazard Source of
Recommendation
Included
in LHMP?
Reason for Inclusion or Exclusion
Agricultural
pests California MHMP No There is no major agricultural activity in Colton.

Air pollution California MHMP No
Air pollution is a state and regional issue
addressed through plans and regulations
administered by the South Coast Air
Quality Management District and the
California Air Resources Board.

Avalanche FEMA guidance No Avalanches do not occur in Colton.

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TABLE 10. HAZARD EVALUATION FOR COLTON LHMP
Hazard Source of
Recommendation
Included
in LHMP?
Reason for Inclusion or Exclusion
Climate change California MHMP
Regional plans
Yes (as a
component
of other
hazards)
Climate change can affect the frequency,
intensity, and/or location of different
hazards. It is not a standalone hazard and
will be discussed as a complicating factor
in other hazards rather than as a distinct
event.

Coastal flooding
and storms California MHMP No Colton is not a coastal city.

Dam failure
California MHMP
FEMA guidance
Regional plans
Yes
Colton lies downstream of the Seven Oaks
Dam and parts of the community are
located within the inundation zone for this
facility. .

Disease and
pest
management
California MHMP No
The Planning Team did not consider the
LHMP to be the appropriate place to
address disease and pest management
hazards.

Drought California MHMP Yes Droughts are a recurring and potentially severe hazard in Colton.

Earthquake
(fault rupture,
liquefaction,
and seismic
shaking)
California MHMP
FEMA guidance
Regional plans
Yes
Colton is located in a seismically active
area and has experienced earthquakes in
the past.

Energy
shortage California MHMP No
The Planning Team did not consider the
LHMP to be the appropriate place to
discuss energy shortages.

Erosion California MHMP
FEMA guidance No Erosion in Colton is not sufficient to be considered a hazard.

Expansive soil FEMA guidance No There is no known expansive soil in Colton.

Extreme cold California MHMP
FEMA guidance No
Temperatures in Colton do not typically
become cold enough to pose a threat to
the community.

Extreme heat California MHMP
FEMA guidance Yes Extreme heat events are a recurring
hazard in Colton.

Flood
California MHMP
FEMA guidance
Regional plans
Yes Floods are an occasional hazard in Colton.

Fracking California MHMP No Fracking does not occur in Colton.

Hail FEMA guidance No
The Planning Team found that hail severe
enough to constitute a hazard in Colton is
too rare to be included in this Plan.

Hazardous
materials
release
California MHMP Yes
Hazardous material facilities are present in
Colton, and there is a risk of a hazardous
materials release in the community.

Hurricane California MHMP
FEMA guidance No Hurricanes are too rare in Colton to be included in this Plan.

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TABLE 10. HAZARD EVALUATION FOR COLTON LHMP
Hazard Source of
Recommendation
Included
in LHMP?
Reason for Inclusion or Exclusion
Infrastructure
failure California MHMP Yes Infrastructure failure may occur in Colton and pose a threat to the community.

Landslide California MHMP
FEMA guidance Yes
Landslides have occurred in the past in
Colton. This hazard has been included
under Geologic Hazards.

Levee failure California MHMP No
Levee failures are not a sufficient hazard to
be addressed separately in this Plan. They
may be discussed generally under
infrastructure failure.

Lightning FEMA guidance No Lightning is not a sufficient hazard to be addressed in this Plan.

Metal theft California MHMP No The Planning Team did not consider this a sufficient threat in Colton.

Methane-
containing soil Regional plans No There are no known methane- containing soils in Colton.

Nuclear hazard California MHMP No
There are no known sources of nuclear
material that could plausibly create a risk
of a nuclear hazard in Colton.

Power Outage California MHMP Yes The City has been affected by power outage events in the past.

Sea level rise California MHMP
FEMA guidance No Colton is not a coastal community and so is not susceptible to sea level rise.

Severe wind FEMA guidance Yes Severe winds occur in Colton and may pose a threat to the community.

Severe winter
weather FEMA guidance Yes
While this term typically refers to blizzards,
ice storms, and related hazards, the
Planning Team uses it for intense
rainstorms that occur occasionally and
may pose a threat to Colton.

Storm surge FEMA guidance No Storm surge is a coastal hazard, and Colton is not a coastal community.

Subsidence FEMA guidance Yes
Subsidence has occurred in the past in
Colton. This hazard discussion has been
included under Geologic Hazards.

Terrorism California MHMP Yes
Since terrorism may happen anywhere, the
Planning Team determined it should be
addressed in the Plan.

Thunderstorm California MHMP
Regional plans No
While thunderstorms may occasionally
occur in Colton, the threat they pose is
adequately mitigated by other hazards.

Tornado California MHMP
FEMA guidance No
There is some risk of tornadoes in Colton,
but other hazards adequately address the
threat posed by these events .

Transportation
crashes California MHMP No
The Planning Team determined that this
Plan is not the appropriate location to
address transportation crashes.

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TABLE 10. HAZARD EVALUATION FOR COLTON LHMP
Hazard Source of
Recommendation
Included
in LHMP?
Reason for Inclusion or Exclusion
Tsunami California MHMP
FEMA guidance No Tsunamis are a coastal hazard, and Colton is not a coastal community.

Volcano California MHMP No
There are no volcanoes near enough to
Colton to reasonably pose a risk to the
community.

Wildfire
California MHMP
FEMA guidance
Regional plans
Yes Significant wildfires have occurred in the
past in Colton.
* Federal disasters are declared at the county level. A disaster declared for San Bernardino County did not necessarily cause any harm to Colton.

During review of the hazards of concern, the Hazard Mitigation Planning Team combined related hazards into broad hazard categories based on the following information :
• Dam failure was incorporated into flooding and is considered an inundation hazard since areas impacted are similar to those affected during flooding events. . • Landslides and subsidence have been incorporated into a geologic hazard category as these two hazard types are related to underlying geologic conditions within the City exacerbated by natural and human- caused processes.
• Infrastructure failure, hazardous material release, terrorism, and power outage will be combined into a single hazard, called “human -caused hazards.” • Extreme heat, severe wind, and severe winter weather are organized into a severe weather category.

Additionally, the HMPT has renamed “earthquakes” to “seismic hazards” to better reflect the threat posed by factors other than ground shaking.

After the HMPT made hazard evaluation and the organizational changes, this Plan discusses eight broad hazard types with their respective sub- categories depicted in Table 11, including climate change, which is discussed in each hazard profile .

TABLE 11. HAZARD CATEGORIES AND SUB-CATEGORIES
Hazard Category Sub-Categories
Drought
Flooding Dam Failure
Geologic Hazards Landslide
Subsidence
Human-caused Hazards Infrastructure Failure
Hazardous Materials Release
Terrorism
Power Outage
Seismic Hazards Fault Rupture
Liquefaction
Seismic Shaking
Severe Weather Extreme Heat

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Severe Wind
Severe Winter Weather
Wildfire
Climate Change Discussed within each relevant Hazard Profile

HAZARD SCORING AND PRIORITIZATION
The HMPT followed FEMA guidance for hazard mitigation plans , prioritizing each of the eight hazards and their respective subcategories. In the initial step, it assigned a score of 1 to 4 for each of the hazards for the following criteria:
• Probability: The likelihood that the hazard will occur in Colton in the future. • Magnitude/Severity: The severity of the direct damage of the hazard to Colton. • Warning Time: The time the City has before a disaster event/hazard impacts Colton. • Duration: The time that the disaster event will affect Colton.

The HMPT assigned a weighting value to each criterion, giving a higher weight to the criteria deemed more important , and multiplied the score for each criterion by weighing the factor in determining the overall score for each criterion. FEMA recommended these weighting values:
• Probability: 2.0
• Location: 0.8
• Maximum Probable Extent (Primary Impact) : 0.7
• Secondary Impacts: 0.5
After calculating the total impact score for each hazard (sum of the location, maximum probable extent, and the secondary impact) , FEMA guidance recommends multiplying the total impact score by the overall probability to determine the final score for each hazard. A final score between 0 and 12 is considered a low-threat hazard, 12.1 to 42 is a medium-threat hazard, and a score above 42 is considered a high- threat hazard. This final score determines the prioritization of the hazards. Table 12 depicts the criteri a for scoring each hazard previously discussed, including probability, location, primary impact, and secondary impacts.

In compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act (and as further specified by Interim Final Rule 44 CFR Section 206.401(c)(2)(i)), this LHMP addresses, in substantial detail, the primary hazards facing the C ity. Lower-priority hazards are addressed at a lesser level of detail due to their relatively reduced impacts, as identified in the hazard assessment discussion. Table 13 shows each hazard's criterion scores, final score, and threat level based on the above prioritization process.

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TABLE 12. CRITERION SCORING
Category Description Score Weighting
Factor
Probability
Unlikely
Extremely rare with no documented history of
occurrences or events. Annual probability of less
than 0.001
1 2.0
Possible
Extremely rare with no documented history of
occurrences or events. Annual probability of
between 0.01 and 0.001
2 Likely
Occasional occurrence with at least two or more
documented historic events. Annual probability of
between 0.1 and 0.01
3 Highly Likely Frequent events with a well -documented history of occurrence. Annual probability of greater than 0.1 4
Location
Negligible The impact zone is a small part of the planning area (a few structures). 1

0.8 Limited The impact zone is a limited part of the planning area (a neighborhood or city block). 2
Significant The impact zone is a significant part of the planning area (multiple blocks or neighborhoods; a district). 3 Extensive The impact zone covers much of the planning area (multiple districts). 4
Maximum Probable Extent
(Primary Impact)
Negligible
Negligible property damages (less than 5% of
critical and non-critical facilities and infrastructure) .

Injuries or illnesses are treatable with first aid, and there are no deaths
1 0.7
Limited
Slight property damages (greater than 5% and less
than 25% of critical and non- critical facilities and
infrastructures) . Injuries and illnesses do not result in permanent disability , and there are no deaths
2 Critical
Moderate property damages (greater than 25%
and less than 50% of critical and non- critical
facilities and infrastructures) . Injuries or illnesses result in permanent disability and at least one
death
3 Catastrophic
Severe property damages (greater than 50% of
critical and non-critical facilities and infrastructure) .

Injuries or illnesses result in permanent disability
and multiple deaths
4 Secondary Impacts
Negligible
No loss of function, downtime, and/or evacuations .

Shutdown of critical facilities for less than 24 hours .

Negligible quality of life lost
4 0.5
Limited
Minimal loss of function, downtime, and/or
evacuations. Shutdown of critical facilities for more
than 1 day and less than 1 week . Limited quality of
life lost
3 Moderate
Some loss of function, downtime, and/or
evacuations. Shutdown of critical facilities for more
than 1 week and less than 1 month. Moderate
quality of life lost
2 High
Major loss of function, downtime, and/or
evacuations. Shutdown of critical facilities for more
than 1 month. Significant quality of life lost
1

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TABLE 13. COLTON HAZARD SCORES AND THREAT LEVELS
Hazard
Probability
(2.0)
Impact (2.0)
Final
Score
Threat
Level
Location
(0.8)
Primary
Impact (0.7)
Secondary
Impact (0.5)
Drought 4
(Highly likely)
4 (Extensive)
3 (Severe)
3 (Moderate) 54.4 High
Flooding 2
(Occasional)
2 (Limited)
3 (Severe)
3 (Moderate) 20.8 Medium
Geologic
hazards
3 (Likely)
2 (Limited)
2 (Moderate)
2 (Limited) 24.0 Medium
Human-
caused
hazards
2 (Occasional)
3 (Significant)
3 (Severe)
3 (Moderate) 24.0 Medium
Seismic
hazards
4 (Highly likely)
4 (Extensive)
4 (Extreme)
4 (High) 64.0 High
Severe
weather
3 (Likely)
4 (Extensive)
4 (Extreme)
4 (High) 48.0 High
Wildfire 4
(Highly likely)
3 (Significant)
3 (Severe)
3 (Moderate) 48.0 High
Hazard Profiles

DROUGHT
Description
Drought is a long period of time with precipitation levels that are significantly below normal.

Most commonly, this makes less water available for natural environments, causing plants to dry out and making them more susceptible to pests or diseases. An abundance of dry plant matter may also increase the risk of wildfires or cause fires to be more intense. Agricultural areas, particularly those that do not rely on irrigation, can suffer during periods of drought.

In more severe instances, droughts can affect urban areas. A significant -enough drought can lead to water shortages that may force local water suppliers to institute mandatory restrictions on nonessential water use. In extreme cases, there may not be enough water to meet basic health and hygienic needs, requiring communities to find alternative water supplies. Since many communities receive their water from distant sources, such as the Sierra Nevada or Colorado River, it is common in California to exp erience “long -distance droughts,” where precipitation levels may be normal in the community itself, but low precipitation at the source of the community’s water may result in water shortages.

Droughts can also, counterintuitively, cause an increase in flooding. Soil that has been dried out by drought conditions is harder and less able to absorb water. When the precipitation eventually does occur, more water remains on the surface rather than being absorbed, increasing the amount of runoff and potentially exacerbating flooding events. Dry soil also does not bind together as well as moister soils, which can increase the potential for landslides or erosion.

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Location and Extent
Droughts are large-scale events, and so drought risks and conditions are generally equal across all of Colton, although the impacts to natural lands are generally different from the impacts to urban areas.

There are many ways to measure drought conditions. One of the most common and easy to understand is the US Drought Monitor Classification Scheme, which combines multiple scales into a single descriptive index. Table 14 shows the U.S. Drought Monitor Classification Scheme.

Past Events
Droughts are a regular feature of California’s climate, although with varying lengths, intensities, and frequencies. They have occurred many times in the state’s recorded history and have frequently led to changes to California’s economy, infrastructure, or policies. • One of the earliest recorded droughts, the “Great Drought” of 1863 –1864, followed the largest flood in California’s recorded history and devastated the state’s cattle industry, finishing off the rancho system in Southern California. • Another series of droughts from 1928 to 1935, known as the “Dust Bowl Droughts,” caused significant harm to California’s agriculture and led to the creation of the federal Central Valley Project to enable a reliable source of water for Central Valley farmers. • Further droughts from 1947 to 1950 and from 1959 to 1960 helped encourage the creation of the State Water Project, which imports water from the Sierra Nevada to communities throughout the state, including Colton.
• A drought from 1976 to 1977 created emergency -level conditions across most of California and resulted in strong water conservation practices that continue to this day.

TABLE 14. U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFICATION SCHEME
Category Description Possible Impacts
D0* Abnormally Dry Slower growth of crops and pastures D1 Moderate Drought
Some damage to crops and pastures. Water bodies and wells are low. Some water shortages may occur or may be imminent.

Voluntary water use restrictions can be requested.

D2 Severe Drought Likely crop and pasture losses. Water shortages are common, and water restrictions can be imposed.

D3 Extreme Drought Major crop and pasture losses. Widespread water shortages and restrictions.

D4 Exceptional Drought Exceptional and widespread crop and pasture losses. Emergency water shortages develop.

Source: US Drought Monitor
* D0 areas are those under “drought watch, ” but not technically in a drought. They are potentially heading into drought conditions or recovering from drought , but are not yet back to normal.

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• A drought from 1987 to 1992 caused significant statewide impacts, particularly to small rural communities and the timber industry, and led to stronger water conservation landscape standards.
• The statewide 2007 to 2009 drought caused further impacts and helped spur regulation for groundwater basins .19, 20, 21
The most severe drought in California’s recorded history (and considered the most severe in the past 1,200 years) occurred from 2012 to 2017. 22 At its peak, virtually all of California experienced D2 (severe drought) conditions, and close to 60 percent of California was classified in D4 (exceptional drought) conditions 7F Colton experienced D3 (extreme drought) conditions from July 2014 to January 2017. Governor Brown declared a statewide emergency, and water conservation standards were strengthened throughout the state. The drought ended with the wet winter of 2016– 2017, although several water conservation policies enacted during the drought remained in force. Although the winter of 2016– 2017 officially ended one of California’s most recent significant droughts, a single wet year was not enough to make up for five dry years.

The 2017–2018 winter also saw less precipitation than normal across the state.23 This moderate drought was again abated in late 2018 and early 2019 in the winter season when heavy rains ended any existing drought conditions.

By the end of 2020, however, California was once again experiencing drought throughout the state, with much of the state in D2 (Severe Drought) and D3 (Extreme Drought) conditions, with some areas even falling into the D4 (Exceptional Drought) category. A series of atmospheric rivers that swept through California from December 2022 to March 2023, bringing more tha n 78 trillion gallons of water, eliminated the drought for most of the state. As of July 2025, much of California is experiencing drought conditions. The majority of San Bernardino County is experiencing D 1 (Moderate Drought ) and D 2 (Severe Drought ) conditions, though some western sections of the county are in D 3 (Extreme Drought) conditions. Figure 4 shows the drought conditions in California , including San Bernardino County and Colton, as of July 22nd, 2025.
24 Risk of Future Events
Drought events are likely to continue occurring in Colton, given the history of past droughts in the community and statewide. As most of Colton’s water supply comes from local groundwater basins, the community is somewhat resilient to drought because groundwater supplies are built up over an extended period (a process called recharge ), and intermittent droughts do not

19 California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). 2023. State Hazard Mitigation Plan. https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office -of-the-director/operations/recovery -directorate/hazard -mitigation/state -mitigation- planning/
20 Kotin, A., and Marion, D. 2014. “A History of Drought: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future.” http://calclimateag.org/a- history-of-drought-learning-from-the-past-looking-to-the-future/ 21 California’s most significant droughts: Comparing historical and recent conditions. California Water Library. (n.d.). https://cawaterlibrary.net/document/californias -most-significant -droughts-comparing-historical-and-recent- conditions/
22 Griffin, D., and Anchukaitis, K. J. 2014. “How unusual is the 2012- 2014 California drought?” Geophysical Research Letters, 41(24). Pages 9017- 2023.
23 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 2018. “Climate Station Precipitation Summary – California Nevada River Forecast Center.” https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNOWRKCLI.php 24 US Drought Monitor. 2025. “Map Archive: US Drought Monitor, California, July 22, 2025.” https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA

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substantially interrupt this process. However, frequent and prolonged droughts can slow recharge, and excessive groundwater pumping can deplete supplies rather than allowing them to recover naturally. Additionally, the small amount of Colton’s water that c omes from local supplies or is imported is more vulnerable to droughts, as a period of dry years can substantially reduce the amount of water available from these supplies.

FIGURE 4. CALIFORNIA DROUGHT CONDITIONS (APPROXIMATE L OCATION INDICATED BY STAR )

Climate Change Considerations
Climate change is anticipated to abate drought in certain situations , but, on the other hand, could also intensify and exacerbate it in other cases. In some cases, climate change- intensified weather patterns, like ENSO, may bring more rain to California and Colton, which could abate drought conditions for the State’s affected parts. In other cases, climate change may also prolong the La Niña phase of ENSO, leading to longer dry periods with no precipitation in California.

Due to climate change, droughts are expected to become more frequent and intense in San Bernardino County and, more broadly, throughout California by mid -century. Scientific studies indicate:

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• Climate change is projected to drive more frequent historically warm temperatures, reduced precipitation and snowpack, abnormally dry soils, and, in turn, drought conditions.
• Modeling studies attribute more frequent coincident warm and dry years and more severe drought conditions in Southern California due to climate change. • The incidence of extremely dry years (those occurring in 1 out of every 100 years over the historical period) could triple by the end of the century. • The likelihood of long -duration droughts in San Bernardino County would increase significantly, with some studies showing a more than 80% chance of multidecadal drought by the end of the century .
25 Climate change is also expected to increase the average temperature and cause more frequent and prolonged heat waves in California and Colton. During these events, water supplies may be diverted for cooling functions in the City. Hotter temperatures may al so lead to increased surface water evaporation, which could contribute to greater water consumption. If a drought were to occur during a future heatwave, it could place water supplies under strain.

From a regional perspective, warmer overall temperatures in California are anticipated to reduce statewide water supplies. Much of California’s water comes from melted snow in the High Sierras, where mountain snowpack acts as a natural reservoir. As the av erage temperature grows warmer with climate change, the precipitation that now falls as snow is expected to shift toward rain. Precipitation as rain will not flow into reservoirs and aqueducts the same way snowmelt does. The natural water reservoirs created by the snowpack stay intact as the initial snowpack runoff begins in the early spring and ends in early to late summer, depending on the level of the snowpack.
26 The runoff from the snowpack can be managed due to the slow pace at which the snow melts; however, when rain occurs in place of snowfall, there is no significant way to collect the water and retain it because it falls much faster. As less snow falls, the amount of melted water from the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada will decrease, reducing the water flowing into the reservoirs and aqueducts that supply Southern California. If regional and local water agencies do not account for increased groundwater withdrawal, Colton and the San Bernardino County region could experience greater dependence on imported water.

FLOODING (DAM FAILURE)
Description
Flood
Floods are a common hazard in many parts of California, including Colton. Flooding occurs when an area becomes inundated with more water than it can drain in a specified period. This can range from a small, confined area, such as a grassy field in a park that fl oods for a few hours after a rainstorm, to whole city sections, such as streets becoming impassable because

25 San Bernardino County Vulnerability Assessment. https://wrcog.us/DocumentCenter/View/7477/San- Bernardino- County-Vulnerability-Assessment
26 NASA. (“World of Change: Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.” https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of - change/SierraNevada#:~:text=The%20snowpack%20on%20the%20Sierra%20Nevada%20has%20generally%20p eaked%20and,reservoirs%20while%20recharging%20the%20groundwater .

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of floodwater. When floods are small, they may only represent a minor inconvenience as some recreational pathways and curb cuts become flooded. These smaller instances of flooding , where water collects into a pool of standing water, are referred to as ponding. On the other hand, larger flood events can hamper a city’s operations. For example, if multiple streets flood simultaneously, the results could prevent emergency workers from reaching people who need assistance. Flooding also has the destructive poten tial to damage critical infrastructure. For instance, unprotected electronic equipment can short -circuit if it is inundated by floodwaters.

This could lead to outages in street lighting, traffic signals, and even city and government computer systems.

Flooding has the potential to occur from multiple sources. In Southern California, the primary cause of flooding is usually heavy rain occurring during the winter storm season. Most precipitation in California arrives either via atmospheric rivers or the E NSO cycle. Atmospheric rivers are channels of moist air located high in the atmosphere. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle is a regional meteorological phenomenon in the southern Pacific Ocean consisting of ocean water and air temperature variat ions. These variations give rise to two distinct phases: El Niño, the warm and wet phase, and La Niña, the dry and cold phase. When the El Niño phase is active, California will likely receive higher -than-normal precipitation levels.

These higher -than-normal levels of rainfall can quickly overwhelm the capacity of certain sections of land to drain the precipitation before the rainwater begins to pool effectively. Floods that develop very quickly, known as flash floods , are especially dangerous because there may be little warning that one is occurring, but floods can also build over a much longer period.

Floods are dangerous for several reasons. The floodwaters themselves can be deep enough for people to drown and may move fast enough to sweep people away. Moving water can damage buildings with its own strength (in extreme cases, it may move entire structures) or by carrying large debris that damages objects it collides with. Water can cause extensive damage to personal property when it gets into buildings, ruining building materials, furniture, electronics, and numerous other items, and may introduce hazar dous materials or mold into the structures .

Both standing and moving water can be a barrier to movement, isolating people and hindering evacuation, rescue, or relief efforts.

Floods are often described in years, such as a 100- year or 500 -year flood. This refers to the average chance of an event occurring in any given year. For example, a 100-year flood is one of such magnitude that it has a 1 percent chance (one in 100) of occurring in any year, and a 500-year flood is one that has a 0.2 percent chance (one in 500) of occurring in any year. The greater the number of years used to describe the flood, the more intense it is. The statewide floods that struck California over the winter of 1861–1862, turning the Central Valley into a giant lake up to 300 miles long, were estimated at a 500- to 1,000-year event. 27 The number of years
used to describe a flood is a long -term average, not a precise length of time between events.

There may be multiple 100- year floods within a few years, or even in the same year.

Flood-prone areas are known as floodplains and are designated by the severity of the flood event that causes inundation there. For example, an area that is flooded by a 100- year flood is called the 100-year floodplain. Floodplains are defined by FEMA in the 100-year floodplain (the

27 USGS (United States Geological Survey). 2011. Overview of the ARkstorm Scenario. https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1312/of2010-1312_text.pdf

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“special flood hazard zone”), the area within the 500- year floodplain but outside of the 100-year plain (the “moderate flood hazard area”), and the area outside of the 500- year floodplain (the “minimum flood hazard area”). Within these three categories are a number of more specialized categories. Table 15 shows these detailed floodplain categories.

TABLE 15. FEMA FLOODPLAIN ZONES
Zone Description
A Within a 100- year floodplain, but the water height of the 100- year flood is not known.

A1-30 or AE Within a 100- year floodplain, the water height of the 100- year flood is known.

AO Within a 100- year floodplain, the water height of the 100- year flood is between one and three feet, but it is not specifically known.

A99 Within a 100- year floodplain, protected by flood protection infrastructure such as dams or levees.

AH Within a 100- year floodplain, the water height of the 100- year flood is between one and three feet and is specifically known.

AR Within a 100- year floodplain, protected by flood protection infrastructure that is not currently effective, but is being rebuilt to provide protection.

V Within a 100- year floodplain for coastal floods, but the water height is not known.

V1-30 or VE Within a 100- year floodplain for coastal floods , the water height is known.

VO Within a 100- year floodplain for shallow coastal floods with a height between one and three feet.

B Within a 500- year floodplain or within a 100- year floodplain with a water height less than one foot (found on older maps) .

C Outside of the 500- year floodplain (found on older maps) .

X Outside of the 500- year floodplain (found on newer maps) .

X500 Within a 500- year floodplain or within a 100- year floodplain with a water height less than one foot (found on newer maps) .

D Within an area with a potential and undetermined flood hazard.

M Within an area at risk of mudslides from a 100- year flood event.

N Within an area at risk of mudslides from a 500- year flood event.

P Within an area at risk of mudslides from a potential and undetermined flood event.

E Within an area at risk of erosion from a 100- year flood event.

Dam Failure
One subset of a flood event is caused by the partial or complete failure of a piece of infrastructure that transports or stores water, such as a dam, pipeline, levee, or storage tank.

Of particular concern to Colton is the risk of dam failure. When a dam f ails, some or all of the water impounded by the dam is released in what resembles a flash flood. Geologic or seismic events, such as an earthquake or landslide, can cause dam failures. Heavy precipitation or high stream flows can erode a dam or its surrounding rock, weakening it and increasing its vulnerability to collapse. Dams may also be poorly located, designed, built, or maintained,

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increasing the risk of failure. Floods from dam failure are discussed in this section, and floods associated with other types of infrastructure failures are discussed in the “ Human Caused Hazards” section.

Location and Extent
Flood
In Colton, the 100-year floodplain covers the Santa Ana River, Reche Canyon Creek, and Warm Creek channels, along with several areas on either side of these channels. Notably, large areas of the Agua Mansa Industrial Corridor situated just north of the Santa Ana River and parts of the Reche Canyon Mobile Estates mobile home park are within the 100 -year floodplain. There are isolated patches of 100- year floodplain at the N Street Underpass and around the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Valley Boulevard. Areas outside of the 100- year floodplain on either side of the Santa Ana River and Reche Canyon Creek are within the 500 -year floodplain, including much of the Cooley Ranch neighborhood and parts of downtown. Some parts of the 500-year floodplain are protected by levees, including the area south of the Santa Ana River near Pellisier Road and a residential area near Garcia Elementary School. Figure 5 shows the flood-prone areas in Colton, although localized flooding may occur outside of these mapped areas.

Dam Failure
There are no dams in Colton, although the City does face an inundation risk from the failure of the Seven Oaks Dam and Cactus Basin #3. The Seven Oaks Dam is located approximately 17 miles east of Colton on the Santa Ana River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the dam in 2000; the San Bernardino County Flood Control District and the Orange County Flood Control District jointly operate it . It stands 550 feet tall and is used mostly for flood control purposes. The dam allows the Santa Ana River to flow normally most of the time, only impounding water as necessary to protect Colton and other downstream communities from floods. It can hold 145,600 acre -feet of water, or approximately 47 billion gallons . 28 The other dam of concern in Colton is the Cactus Basin #3, located in the neighboring city of Rialto, which is an earth dam completed in 2017. Designed to create temporary holding capacity for storm runoff, it has a storage capacity of 528.4 acre -feet, approximately 172 million gallons of water. It is part of a larger flood control system designed to protect residences, businesses, and public infrastructure adjacent to the Cactus Channel and Rialto Channel in the cities of Rialto and Colton.
29 The hazard zone for failure of the Seven Oaks Dam covers the Santa Ana River floodway and areas on either side. It includes the Cooley Ranch neighborhood as well as large sections of land on the north bank of the Santa Ana River. The actual area affected b y any failure of Seven Oaks Dam would depend on the nature of the failure and the amount of water impounded by the dam at the time. The inundation hazard zone for the Cactus Basin #3 is located along the

28 San Bernardino County. “Seven Oaks Dam.” https://dpw.sbcounty.gov/flood-control/seven- oaks-dam/ 29 Pyun, Y . (n.d.). Cactus Basin #3 in San Bernardino County, CA. The Daily News Leader. https://data.newsleader.com/dam/california/san- bernardino-county/cactus- basin-3/ca10374/

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western border of the City, following South Riverside Ave along the border between Colton and Rialto. The inundation zone extends into the City following Interstate 10 (I-10) at W Valley Blvd east to Pepper Ave with other small pockets north and south of the I -10. Figure 6 shows the areas of Colton within the maximum extent of the dam failure zones.

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FIGURE 5. FLOOD HAZARD ZONES

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FIGURE 6. DAM FAILURE INUNDATION ZONE S

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Past Events
Flood
Colton’s location on the Santa Ana River has historically made it more vulnerable to flooding.

There are records of flood events dating back to 1769. Notable early floods include those over the winter of 1861–1862, which caused widespread devastation throughout California. Records from the time reported up to 50 feet of water in the Santa Ana River channel near Agua Mansa.30 The construction of the Seven Oaks Dam upriver in 2000 has helped to control flood events, if not prevent them entirely. There have been several flood events in Colton since the community was first developed.
• During the winter of 1883– 1884, record rainfall in the San Bernardino Valley caused extensive damage to the new railroad tracks in and around Colton and altered the mouth of the Santa Ana River by three miles.
• A storm in February of 1891 caused over 4.5 inches of rainfall in the area in a single day, resulting in widespread damage throughout the San Bernardino Valley. • Heavy rainfall in 1894 caused flooding around the Santa Ana River in Colton and destroyed railways in the area.
• Storms in January of 1909 flooded the Santa Ana River and other regional water bodies. Railroads in Colton reported damage.
• A heavy storm around New Year's in 1910 created over 4.2 inches of rainfall around San Bernardino, leaving the Santa Ana River at its highest peak in 20 years. Colton was isolated, and a train traveling through the community from Los Angeles fell into the Santa Ana River.
• Storms in early 1914 flooded railroads, roadways, and orchards throughout the San Bernardino Valley area, including in Colton.
• Multiple storms in January of 1916 left cities isolated and destroyed numerous buildings, bridges, and roadways. An estimated 50 people died throughout Southern California.
• Heavy rainfall over the winter of 1921 –1922 caused flooding along the Santa Ana River, destroying railways, bridges, and roads.
• A major storm in early 1938 caused flooding throughout Southern California, including along the Santa Ana River. Fourteen people died in San Bernardino County, and the damage total is estimated at $12 million (approximately $266 million in 2024 values).

Statewide, 210 people were reported dead or missing, and over 1,500 homes were destroyed. Flooding from this storm helped build support for flood control infrastructure in the region.
• In January of 1943, 150 families in San Bernardino and Colton had to evacuate due to an intense storm. Several roads and bridges in the area were damaged.

30 San Bernardino County. “Flood History.” https://dpw.sbcounty.gov/flood - control/history/#:~:text=The%20flood%20of%201825%20is,of%201884%20approaches%20this%20category

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• Storms in December of 1965 caused flooding in the San Bernardino Mountains and the communities below them. In Colton, two boys fell into the Santa Ana River and had to be rescued.
• Floods in early 1969 resulted in substantial damage throughout San Bernardino County, including in and around Colton. Statewide, damages came to $300 million (over $2.5 billion in 2024).
• A strong storm in March of 1970 killed one person and caused extensive flooding all over the northern Inland Empire region. Later in the year, a series of storms caused widespread flooding and washed out several roads.
• A series of storms in January of 1993 caused the Santa Ana River to overtop its banks, leading to widespread flooding in nearby communities.
• Storms in December of 2010 caused flooding throughout Colton, particularly in the Reche Creek neighborhood. Roads and bridges were also affected. 31 • A storm in December of 2021 caused flooding and mudslides throughout Colton. Police had to issue citations to motorists who were going around barriers and traffic signs. 32 • In August of 2023, Tropical Storm Hillary brought heavy rains throughout San Bernardino County and Colton. According to the City, flooding caused the closure of roads, including Valley St. and Sperry Dr.
• In December of 2023, a powerful winter storm fueled by an atmospheric river brought very heavy rainfall of 5” to 14” across Southern California. Numerous flash floods , mud, and debris flows were reported across the region, including Colton. 33 • February of 2024 brought major storms to the region. In Colton, Valley Boulevard was closed due to flooding from Grand Avenue to Hermosa Avenue, and Cypress Avenue was blocked from Valley to H Street .

Dam Failure
Colton has never experienced a dam failure event, although there have been four substantial dam failure events in the state’s history.
• In 1916, heavy rainfall caused multiple dam failures in San Diego County, killing over 20 people. 34

31 Colton, City of. 2011. City of Colton Hazard Mitigation Plan. http://ca- colton.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/3138.; San Bernardino County. “Flood History.” https://dpw.sbcounty.gov/flood-
control/history/#:~:text=The%20flood%20of%201825%20is,of%201884%20approaches%20this%20category.; NWS (National Weather Service). 2017 (Updated March 2025). A History of Significant Weather Events in Southern California Organized by Weather Type.
https://www.weather.gov/media/sgx/documents/weatherhistory.pdf

32 Colton Police Dept. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=917197245823533 33 Weather.Gov2024 - A History of Significant Weather Events in Southern California Organized by Weather Type 34 McGlashan, H. D., and Ebert, F. C. 1918. Southern California Floods of January 2016. https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/0426/report.pdf

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• In 1928, the St. Francis Dam on the Los Angeles Aqueduct experienced a sudden and catastrophic failure, causing a flood that killed at least 430 people, if not more. 35 • In 1963, the Baldwin Hills Dam in a West Los Angeles neighborhood collapsed, killing five people and destroying 277 homes. 36
• The 1971 San Fernando (Sylmar) Earthquake damaged the Lower San Fernando Dam so seriously that it was near failure. Over 80,000 people had evacuated from an 11- square-mile area below the dam, and dam operators had to drain 15 million tons of water from the reservoir. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a new dam in 1975 -6 to supplement the Lower San Fernando Dam, which was also upgraded. 37 More recently, in February of 2017, intense rainfall caused damage to the spillways at Oroville Dam in northern California. Although the dam itself was not threatened, the collapse of the eroding spillways could have released billions of gallons of water. Approximately 188,000 people were evacuated, although ultimately there was no loss of life or damage beyond the dam itself and associated infrastructure.
38 Risk of Future Events
Flood
The community has a long history of experiencing flooding events. While flood control infrastructure and drainage systems have helped to reduce the intensity of floods, they are not always able to fully contain floodwaters. Floods do not occur at regular times in most of California, including Colton. Flood event s may occur in multiple successive years, or there may be decades between one flood and the next. However, all indications suggest that Colton will eventually experience another major flood event.

The severity of future flood events remains unknown. The 1938 flood, the most severe since Colton’s founding, is considered a 500 -year storm, and a repeat of such an event is plausible. 39 The most severe flood event in California’s recorded history, the 1861 –1862 winter flood, is considered a 500 - to 1,000- year event and is likely the most extreme of reasonably possible future events. If a repeat of this flood were to occur, scientists estimate that it would cause approximately $1.7 billion in damage in San Bernardino County and take two weeks to restore power, as well as several days to restore communications. 40

35 Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO). 2018a. “Case Study: St. Francis Dam (California, 1928).” https://damfailures.org/case-study/st -francis-dam-california-1928/ 36 ASDSO. 2018b. “Case Study: Baldwin Hills Dam (California, 1963).” https://damfailures.org/case- study/baldwin- hills-dam-california-1963/.
37 Page, R.A., Boore, D.M., and Yerkes, R.F., 1995, “The Los Angeles Dam story: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 096–95.”
38 France, J. W., Alvi, I. A., Dickson, P . A., et al. 2018. Independent Forensic Team Report: Oroville Dam Spillway Incident.
https://damsafety.org/sites/default/files/files/Independent%20Forensic%20Team%20Report%20Final%2001 -05-

18.pdf.
39 Romo, R. 1988. “Flood of Memories: Longtime Valley Residents Recall 1938 Deluge That Took 87 Lives, Did $78 Million in Damage.” The Los Angeles Times, February 22 40 USGS (United States Geological Survey). 2011. Overview of the ARkstorm Scenario. Dam Failurehttps://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1312/of2010-1312_text.pdf

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Dam Failure
Dams are critical infrastructure pieces with potentially catastrophic consequences if they fail.

Dams are heavily engineered to minimize the risk, especially new dams such as Seven Oaks.

Additionally, as Seven Oaks Dam only impounds water during flood even ts, dam failure would likely create a substantial hazard only during or shortly after a flood. There is a risk of Seven Oaks Dam experiencing failure, but it ’s probability is unlikely . The hazard potential does not speak to the dam's condition or the risk of the dam failing. In this regard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has given both the Seven Oaks Dam and Cactus Basin #3 a high-hazard potential classification.

Climate Change Considerations
Climate change is expected to affect precipitation patterns in California, which are likely to influence future flood events. A recent study found that the number of very intense precipitation days in California is projected to more than double by the end of the century, increasing 117 percent and making it likely that flood events will become more frequent. 41 More flooding events
could slightly increase the risk of dam failure, as it would require the Seven Oaks Dam to be used more frequently and potentially hold back more water.

The potential increase in intense precipitation days may be due at least in part to expected changes to phenomena called atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are bands of very moist air that can create intense storms. Although only approximately a dozen of thes e storms occur in an average year, AR events cause 40 to 50 percent of California’s precipitation . 42 These storms
often cause flooding due to their intensity. In Southern California, the number of AR storms is expected to remain constant, although the storms are projected to become 10 to 20 percent more intense on average, increasing the odds that an individual AR storm will cause flooding. 43 Another potentially contributing factor is the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO, often called El Niño), a natural cycle in the water temperatures and wind in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Conditions change between three states (warm, neutral, and c old) as part of the regular ENSO cycle, which affects precipitation in California. The warm phase (also called El Niño) usually increases precipitation in California, and the cool phase (called La Niña) generally decreases it. Scientists have not yet ident ified if climate change may affect the ENSO cycle 44,
but there may be significant ramifications for flood events in Colton if there is a connection. 45

41 Polade, S. D., Gershunov, A., Cayan, D. R., et al. 2017. Precipitation in a warming world: Assessing project hydro-climate changes in California and other Mediterranean climate regions. Scientific Reports 42 Dyches, P. 2017. “NASA estimates global reach of atmospheric rivers.” https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2645/nasa -estimates-global-reach-of-atmospheric-rivers/. 43 Oskin, B. 2014. “‘Atmospheric Rivers’ to Soak California as Climate Warms.” https://www.livescience.com/49225- atmospheric-rivers-double-climate-change.html. 44 Chen, C., Cane, M. A., Wittenberg, A. T., et al. 2016. “ENSO in the CMIP5 Simulations: Life Cycles, Diversity, and Responses to Climate Change.” Journal of Climate, 30. Pages 775-801 45 Keupp, L., Pollinger, F., Paeth, H. 2016. Assessment of future ENSO changes in a CMIP3/CMIP5 multi -model and multi-index framework. International Journal of Climatology, 37(8). Pages 3439 -3451

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GEOLOGIC HAZARDS
For this Plan, the term “geologic hazards” refers to landslides and subsidence. Earthquakes and other hazardous conditions related to seismic activity are discussed under the “seismic hazards” section.

Description
Landslide
A landslide occurs when a hillside or slope becomes unstable, and the material of the slope, such as soil and rocks, slides down the side. A landslide may be caused by the shaking of an earthquake, which can decrease the slope’s stability or fracture the materials that make it up, causing it to become unstable. Alternatively, moisture- induced landslides occur when the ground soaks up enough water to lose its stability. This usually occurs due to a prolonged or intense period of rainfall, but leaking water pipes or excessive watering of landscapes can also cause landslides. In these cases, the sliding material may become so waterlogged that it turns to mud, creating a type of landslide known as a mudslide or mudflow. Landslides are usually sudden, although some hillsides may slide very slowly over a long period of time.

Landslides typically occur on slopes with loose and fractured materials, and they are more likely to happen on steep slopes than on those with shallow rises. Excavation of a slope may trigger a landslide or increase the likelihood of one occurring, as it can weaken a hillside. Hillsides that have recently burned in a wildfire are also more likely to experience landslides due to the loss of plant cover —plants help hold a hillside together and allow water to infiltrate the soil more harmlessly—and physical changes to the soil from the intense heat that make it less able to absorb water.
46 The moving material of a landslide can damage or destroy buildings or structures in its path.

People caught in the landslide may be crushed or buried, causing injury or death. A landslide may also cover a roadway or rail line, blocking transportation servi ce until the material can be cleaned up. Due to their fluid nature, mudslides may travel far beyond hilly areas and affect flat terrain.

Subsidence
Subsidence is when the surface of the ground appears to sink. It happens when soils compact or collapse into empty spaces. Subsidence is often caused by the extraction of groundwater or pumping fuels, as these materials help support the weight of the ground above th em. When they are pumped out, the soil may be unable to hold itself up and collapse into the empty space, causing the surface to drop with it. Mining activities, natural cave collapses, and seismic activity may also cause soils to subside. Subsid ence can occur quickly, although it is more commonly a gradual event that causes damage over a long period of time. Sinkholes are a small -scale, rapid form of subsidence.

Subsidence is hazardous to any structure built on or in the subsiding soils. Buildings built on the soil sink with it, sometimes causing the foundations, walls, or floors of the building to crack.

This can damage the building or objects inside it and may make the building structurally unsound and prone to collapse. Roads, railways, utility lines, and other infrastructure on or in

46 Gaud, W. S. n.d. “Fire Effect on Soil.” https://www2.nau.edu/gaud/RiodeFlag/slfr.htm

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the soil can be broken by subsidence, creating gaps in service networks and potentially causing releases of wastewater, natural gas, or other substances that can create further hazards.

Location and Extent
Landslide
In Colton, the areas at the greatest risk of landslides are the hills of the Reche Canyon neighborhood, much of the La Loma Hills, and the slopes of Slover Mountain. There are areas of more limited landslide risk along the southern side of the La Loma Hill s, the cliffs along West Agua Mansa Road, the northern border of Grand Terrace, and the slopes above the Santa Ana River near Scenic Drive. Figure 7 shows the areas in Colton at the greatest risk of landslides.

There is no standard scale for measuring a landslide; they are typically assessed by the amount of material that slides during the event. The California Geological Survey has followed a scale of landslide susceptibility that is based on slope steepness and the strength of the underlying rock, with 0 being no susceptibility and 10 being the highest susceptibility. For this Plan, an area with a susceptibility of 7 or above is considered a high -risk area.

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FIGURE 7. LANDSLIDE HAZARD ZONES

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Subsidence
Colton sits atop the Upper Santa Ana Valley groundwater basin, specifically within the Riverside- Arlington and Rialto -Colton subbasins. Since both subbasins are actively pumped for groundwater, subsidence remains a risk throughout the entire community.

Subsidence is generally measured by the distance that the land has sunk (e.g., in feet or inches) or in the rate of subsidence (e.g., inches per year).

Past Events
Landslide
There is no record of substantial landslides in Colton, although major events have occurred in the region. The most significant landslide occurred on December 25, 2003, following a strong storm that dropped over two inches of rain on recently burned slopes in the San Bernardino Mountains. A series of mudslides covered parts of San Bernardino and Highland, extending as far as the runways of the now -closed Norton Air Force Base (now San Bernardino International Airport), depositing 18 feet of mud in the Santa Ana River basin. The mudslides killed 14 people, injured another 10, and caused over $5 million in damage. There have also been multiple landslides in the Waterman Canyon area, approximately seven miles north of downtown Colton.
47 Subsidence
Subsidence has occurred in Colton, although at relatively low rates. Historical reports identify approximately 2.5 inches of subsidence in northern Colton between 1933 and 1960, and slightly more than 1 inch of subsidence near downtown Colton over the same time .48 More significant levels of subsidence have been reported elsewhere in the Upper Santa Ana Valley groundwater basin, particularly northeast of Colton in San Bernardino. The most recent subsidence events occurring in the City are the result of sinkholes. Sinkholes are considered a specific type of subsidence where the ground collapses downwards due to the dissolution of underlying rock, often creating a distinct depression.
• On December 30th, 2011, the Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge over Interstate 10 was temporarily closed after a sinkhole about 15 feet deep and eight feet across collapsed in the southbound lane on the bridge. City crews were able to fill the hole to reopen the road temporarily, and several days later, it was closed again so crew s could make a permanent fix.
• The southern side of the Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge over the Santa Ana River was closed to traffic on August 14th, 2014, after damage from recent rains. Officials stated that recent rains had undermined the footings under the bridge. • On August 28th, 2017, the Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge was temporarily shut down once again due to a sinkhole caused by recent rains and storms from the previous

47 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 2025. “Storm Events Database.” https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/
48 Fife, D. L., Rodgers, D. A., Chase, G. W., et al. 1976. Special Report 113: Geologic Hazards in Southwestern San Bernardino County, California.

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year. The sinkhole and bridge were inspected , and it was determined that the hole — roughly 6 to 10 feet deep and approximately 15 feet by 10 feet wide —would not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge. Crews filled the hole and placed a steel plate over it until more permanent repairs could be made. • Major storms brought intense rain to the City on February 5th, 2024 . Runoff caused part of a side street in one neighborhood to collapse. The owner of a home nearby was told to be prepared to evacuate.

Risk of Future Events
Landslide
Although substantive landslides have not occurred in Colton in recorded history, parts of the community do face an elevated risk from these events. It is likely that landslides will occur in Colton at some time in the future, although past records indicate that these events will be rare.

Moisture-induced landslides will likely be somewhat more common than seismically induced ones.

Subsidence
Subsidence remains a possible hazard in Colton, although effective groundwater management has helped to reduce the risk level . Continued effective management is expected to help decrease but not eliminate the risk. The Rialto-Colton subbasin, which sits under north and east Colton, is considered at medium -to-high risk of future subsidence, although it is not currently subsiding. The Riverside -Arlington subbasin, which sits under south and west Colton, is not currently ranked due to a lack of available data.
49 However, given that it is farther from the areas
that historically experienced high subsidence levels, combined with a lack of subsidence throughout the entire region in recent years, it is reasonable to assume that the risk level for this subbasin is the same or less as the Rialto-Colton subbasin and the probability is considered unlikely.

Climate Change Considerations
Landslide
There is no evidence that climate change affects seismic activity to any appreciable degree, and so climate change is not expected to have any effect on seismically induced landslides.

Climate change may increase the frequency and/or intensity of moisture- induced landslides, given a possible increase in the intensity of major storm systems (as discussed in the “Flooding” section). Such an increase would likely cause higher precipitation levels, which could lead to slopes absorbing more moisture and becoming more unstable. As a result, landslides may become larger or could occur more often. Climate change may also increas e the amount of land burned by wildfires (as discussed in the “ Wildfires” section), which could also increase the likelihood of substantial landslides in Colton.

49 DWR (California Department of Water Resources). 2014. Summary of Recent, Historical, and Estimated Potential for Future Land Subsidence in California.
https://www.water.ca.gov/LegacyFiles/groundwater/docs/Summary_of_Recent_Historical_Potential_Subsidence_in _CA_Final_with_Appendix.pdf

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Subsidence
Subsidence in and around Colton has historically been linked to excessive groundwater pumping causing a decline in groundwater levels and resulting in the soil above compacting into the now -empty space. Climate change is expected to cause an increase in the frequency and severity of drought conditions, which could potentially affect groundwater levels (thus increasing the risk of further soil compaction). However, groundwater is more resilient to the effects of climate change than are other water resources, as discussed in the “Drought” section.

HUMAN CAUSED HAZARDS
This Plan defines human-caused hazards as hazards that are a direct consequence of human activity or structures. They may be caused by natural hazard events or by human actions. In this Plan, human -caused hazards refer to infrastructure failure, hazardous material release, or terrorism. Potential consequences of human -caused hazards, such as wildfires or floods, are discussed in separate sections.

Description
Infrastructure Failure
Infrastructure failure is when an infrastructure component or network fails, creating a risk of harm to people, property, or other community assets. They often occur due to natural hazards, such as earthquakes or floods . Infrastructure failures may also be caused by human error, deliberate sabotage, or inadequate maintenance, resulting in failure due to overuse or unrepaired damage.

One type of infrastructure failure —active failure—occurs when the failure releases a substance that is harmful or potentially harmful, or the failure directly causes damage or injury. For example, a break in a pipeline that releases flammable natural gas, or the collapse of a bridge , would be considered an active failure. Alternatively, passive failure occurs when the infrastructure fails in a manner that prevents it from functioning as intended. The failure itself may not be dangerous, but the loss of func tion may create a hazardous situation. For example, a clogged storm drain is not dangerous, but it could cause flooding if this infrastructure failure happens during heavy rainfall. Some infrastructure failures may qualify as both. For example, a leak in a water tank can be directly dangerous (it releases a large amount of water that could create a flood) and may cause an indirect risk by decreasing water supplies.

Hazardous Materials
Hazardous materials are a wide-ranging category of substances that can cause death or serious harm to people or may significantly damage human or environmental health. It includes materials that are toxic, flammable, explosive, corrosive, infectious, or radioactive. Some hazardous materials are only dangerous under specific circumstances (such as flammable materials that require exposure to a heat source to ignite), while others remain hazardous at all times. Hazardous materials can occur naturally or may be manufactured.

Hazardous materials pose a risk when released into the environment or an uncontrolled setting.

This typically occurs when a storage container or piece of equipment containing the material breaks, releasing the substances it contains . It can occur through industrial accidents,

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transportation crashes, or other disasters (e.g., an earthquake that causes a storage container to break). On occasion, hazardous materials may be released intentionally.

Hazardous materials are widely used and are generally safe when handled properly and in accordance with the correct protocols. Some hazardous materials, such as cleaning supplies, may be found in almost all homes and businesses. Many businesses use hazardous materials regularly, and some manufacture hazardous materials for sale. Hazardous material that serves no useful purpose may be considered hazardous waste. This Plan is concerned with the release of unusually harmful substances or large quantities of hazardous materials. It does not address the potential of small-scale hazardous material releases of common supplies, such as cleaning supplies under a sink or a spare can of gasoline in a shed.

Mass Casualty Incident/ Terrorism
A Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) is an event that overwhelms local resources due to many casualties, requiring a significant shift in how emergency medical services and healthcare facilities respond. MCIs can be caused by natural disasters, accidents, or deliberate acts like mass shootings. The key challenge is managing a surge of patients beyond the capacity of normal resources, necessitating triage, optimized resource allocation, and a focus on maximizing positive outcomes for the most critically injured .

Terrorism is the use of force or the threat of force to intimidate people or government agencies with the intent to achieve some specific social or political outcome. It may be used to achieve any number of objectives, such as changes to government policy or to inf luence an election.

Terrorism may sometimes overlap with hate crimes or acts of war, and the boundaries between these acts and terrorism are not always clear.

Acts of terror may take many different forms. Commonly, terrorists will attempt to kill or injure people, damage or destroy property or infrastructure, disrupt government operations, interrupt key services, create mass uncertainty or fear, or some combinat ion of these or other goals.

Conventional firearms or explosives are the most common weapons for terrorists, although other methods may be used.

Increasingly, terrorists may use computer viruses or other methods to steal information from databases or to disrupt or destroy computer networks and any infrastructure that may rely on these computers, a tactic known as cyberterrorism. The use of weapons of mass destruction (biological agents, chemical agents, radioactive materials, or high -yield explosives) is not unprecedented but is extremely rare.

Power Failure
An energy/power failure occurs within an electric power system when the total real or reactive power of the power plants in the system is insufficient to supply all consumers with the required quality of electric power . These events are considered a lifeline system failure . These failures or outages can be the primary hazard, or these events can directly result from another hazard, such as an earthquake, extreme weather event, or flood. These failures can also be in conjunction with other lifeline system failures , such as natural gas, communication, drinking water, wastewater disposal, or transportation. Power failure can exacerbate and or create detrimental effects on these various operational and lifeline systems. For this hazard profile discussion, energy/power failure incidents are the primary hazard of concern; however, power

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failure associated with other hazard events is a concern for many of the other hazards profiled in this Plan.

Generally, these power failure events are the direct result of events beyond the City’s control.

These events often occur during a time of extreme demand/need for power, such as an extreme heatwave that creates an enormous strain on the power grid as residents try to stay cool. Most of these energy outages are short -term, but can last for weeks if the situation is dire. There are three types of power/energy failures or outages , each categorized based on duration and the actual effect of the failure/outage event .
1) Permanent: A massive loss of power typically caused by a fault on a power line.

However, power is restored automatically once the fault has been cleared. 2) Brownout: A sag (or drop) in voltage in an electrical power supply. They can cause equipment or various operational systems to perform poorly. 3) Blackout: A total loss of power in an area; the worst form of a power outage.

Blackouts can last from a few minutes to multiple weeks, depending on the nature of the causing event and the configuration of the actual electric network.

A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is a practice that Southern California Edison (SCE, one of the electricity providers in Colton) and other utility companies may use to preemptively shut off power in high-fire-hazard areas to reduce fire risk during extreme and potentially dangerou s weather conditions (hot, dry, and windy). According to the SCE, PSPS events are the last-resort option in a line of operational procedures employed to mitigate fire risk when conditions warrant.

In considering whether to shut off power to lines in affected areas, SCE considers the following factors, which may include, but are not limited to:
• The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for counties with SCE circuits in High Fire Risk Areas.
• Ongoing assessments from the SCE in -house meteorologists regarding the local wind speed, humidity, and temperature conditions are informed by strategically deployed weather stations.
• Real-time situational awareness information from highly trained personnel positioned locally in High Fire Risk Areas identified as at risk for extreme weather conditions. • Input from SCE fire management experts regarding any ongoing firefighting efforts. • Specific concerns from local and state fire authorities regarding the potential consequences of wildfires in select locations.
• Awareness of mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders in place. • Expected impact of de -energizing circuits on essential services such as public safety agencies, water pumps, traffic controls, etc.
• Other operational considerations to minimize potential wildfire ignitions.

According to the City of Colton Electric Utility (CEU) 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP), coordination with SCE is critical during extreme weather and other emergency events. When

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SCE determines that a planned de -energizing event is necessary, CEU and SCE work cooperatively to minimize the impacts on customers within CEU’s territory.

In the event of a planned de -energizing event by SCE, the following protocols have been established by CEU:
1) Coordinate with SCE trigger events and which circuits will be de -energized, and the CEU territory affected.
2) Notify public safety officials, including first responders, health care facilities, and operators of telecommunications infrastructure by phone, email, or text. 3) Initiate startup and activation of the Agua M ansa Power Plant. 4) Notify impacted customers through targeted mass distribution, email, text, and phone. 5) Notify the general public through the City website and message boards.

The CEU has reviewed and is familiar with SCE’s WMP and the events leading to the decision to initiate de -energization of their system. The CEU’s communication strategy is designed to provide advance notification to customers, including public safety and critical infrastructure providers—who may be affected by a de- energization event. Advance notice to customers will be provided only when CEU has planned a de- energization event. When SCE has planned the de-energization event, the CEU will supplement SCE’s notification process by posting the information on their website and informing field and office support staff of the pending event.

Location and Extent
Infrastructure Failure
Infrastructure failure may occur anywhere in Colton, given the extent of infrastructure networks in modern society; however, some infrastructure networks exist only in some parts of the community, and therefore the risk of failure from these networks is li mited to certain locations.

Any infrastructure component may fail, although well -maintained infrastructure that is protected from damage is less likely to experience a failure. There is no scale for measuring infrastructure failure.

Hazardous Materials
As discussed earlier, hazardous materials are commonly used, and there are several methods for identifying hazardous material sites. The U .S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies 73 facilities that actively produce hazardous wastes in Colton. These facilities include mechanical dealerships and repair shops, gasoline and diesel fuel stations, industrial facilities, services such as p harmacies and dry cleaners, and institutional centers, among others. 50 The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) maintains records of hazardous waste facilities as well as sites that are currently known or suspected of having hazardous material contamination that fall under the state’s jurisdiction or have in the past. There are 16 sites that the DTSC has investigated and found to be contaminated, most of which the EPA has also identified. These sites are mostly industrial facilities, including railroad sites, iron and

50 EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency). 2025. “Search: System Data Searches: RCRAInfo.” https://www3.epa.gov/enviro/facts/rcrainfo/search.html .

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metalworking operations, and utility facilities. 51 Additionally, the California State Water Resources Control Board monitors facilities that impact local water quality, have the potential to do so, or have done so in the past. There are 36 such facilities in Colton, although only one is currently undergoing cleanup. Two other sites have not completed cleanup activities, but currently, there are no active cleanups. A fourth site is being verified to determine whether cleanup activities have been successful, and the remaining 32 have successfully completed cleanup activities.
52 Hazardous material releases resulting from transportation crashes/accidents may happen anywhere. Crashes/accidents on Interstate 10 or Interstate 215 may cause the release of hazardous materials, but such upsets may also happen on roads between freeways and hazardous material sites, as hazardous materials are likely transported along these routes. The rail lines through Colton are also a potential source of accidents that could cause hazardous material releases. The main east -west Union Pacific right-of-way through Colton is a high- hazard-area rail line. These areas account for 2 percent of the track length in California but have experienced 18 percent of the derailments. Therefore, rail lines through Colton have an elevated risk of upsets that could potentially release hazardous materials. 53 Areas within a quarter mile of a hazardous material facility are likely at risk of hazardous material releases. However, depending on the type and quantity of material released and the nature of the event, dangerous concentrations of the material may be li mited to a minimal radius or may spread to a much wider area. Figure 8 shows the location of hazardous material facilities in the City (not including areas vulnerable to hazardous material release from roads or railways).

Mass Casualty Incident/ Terrorism
Terrorism and MCIs may take place anywhere. Soft targets that draw crowds—such as festivals, concerts, theaters, arenas, cafes, plazas, mass transit, churches, schools, markets, and tourist spots—are common targets. However, terrorists may also attack symbolic targets (such as important monuments or symbols of a disfavored group or nation), government offices, political rallies, and vulnerable infrastructure (pipelines and electrical substations are common examples). While terrorist acts are often measured by the number of deaths or injuries or by the amount of damage, there is no standard scale for terrorism.

Power Failure
The entire City of Colton is vulnerable to energy/power failure. As stated earlier, most power outage events are not typically caused by human error . The catalyst of energy/power loss can be an overwhelming demand for power due to accidents, equipment malfunctions or failures , weather conditions, or other natural hazards to which the City is susceptible.

Power failure/shortage may occur in only small areas of the City, such as a single location or neighborhood, or the entire grid could fail, suddenly causing the City as a whole to lose power.

Power/energy failure is indiscriminate in who, where, or what it affects; however, locations with older or aboveground infrastructure may be more susceptible to weather -related hazards. The

51 DTSC (California Department of Toxic Substances Control). 2025. “EnviroStor.” https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/ .
52 SWRCB (State Water Resources Control Board). 2025. “GeoTracker”. http://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/ . 53 IRSWG (California Interagency Rail Safety Working Group). 2014. Oil by Rail Safety in California: Preliminary Findings and Recommendations.
https://sntr.senate.ca.gov/sites/sntr.senate.ca.gov/files/Oil%20By%20Rail%20Safety%20in%20California.pdf

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duration of these power/energy failures depends entirely on the severity of the actual cause of the power loss and the extent of the required repairs .

The electricity industry operated for years through "vertically integrated utilities,” meaning that they owned generation, transmission, and distribution, which typically had monopolies in their designated service areas. In 1996, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued orders 888 and 889 requiring utilities with transmission infrastructure to provide nondiscriminatory access to all transmission customers.

One way for a utility company to comply with this new requirement was to allow an independent system operator (ISO) to operate their transmission system for it. ISOs do not own the electricity transmitted over the grid, and they allow market participants to transmit electricity at the best available price. In 1998, due to Order 888 and California state legislation, AB 1890, the California ISO (Cal ISO) was incorporated as a nonprofit public benefit corporation to fulfill this mission. ISOs are often compare d to air traffic controllers, as they independently manage the traffic on a power grid they do not own, much like air traffic controllers manage airplane traffic in the airways and on airport runways.

Cal ISO is one of nine independent system operators in North America (refer to Figure 9 , page 58). Collectively, they deliver over 2.2 million gigawatt-hours of electricity each year and oversee more than 26,000 miles of high- voltage power lines. These independent grid operators serve two-thirds of the United States. The Cal ISO Board approved the City of Colton and CEU to become part of the ISO in 2012. Becoming a participating transmission owner allows Colton to acquire transmission access to new renewable resources in California and the Southwest , necessary to meet California’s green power goals.

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FIGURE 8. HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SITES

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FIGURE 9. ISO S LOCATED IN NORTH AMERICA

Past Events
Infrastructure Failure
There is no record of major infrastructure failure in Colton. Small -scale infrastructure failure events have happened, such as downed power lines from heavy winds, breaks in water and sewage lines from earthquakes or landslides, and ponding because of blocked or overwhelmed storm drains.

Hazardous Materials
According to the EPA, there are 357 facilities or locations within the C ity that either use, store, transport, or produce hazardous materials. Due to the large number of industrial facilities in and around Colton, along with the railways and major freeways that run through the community, there have been several hazardous material releases in Colton. Since 2010, there have been 378 reported hazardous material releases or potential releases in the community, mostly associated with railroad operations. Petroleum fuels, such as diesel and gasoline, are among the most released substances, although releases of acids, ammonia, and other industrial compounds have also occurred.
54 Although some releases or potential releases have prompted evacuations, there have been no major hazardous material releases in Colton’s history. Table 16 displays the hazardous material spills reported to Cal OES from 2010 to 2023. The City has an average of 27 reported spills annually.

54 Cal OES. 2024. “Spill Release Reporting.” https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office- of-the-director/operations/response - operations/fire-rescue/hazardous -materials/spill -release-reporting/

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TABLE 16. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RELEASE REPORTING
Year Reported Releases
2010 73
2011 37
2012 27
2013 23
2014 28
2015 22
2016 16
2017 25
2018 24
2019 26
2020 32
2021 19
2022 15
2023 11
Annual Avg 27.00
Source: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/cal -oes-divisions/fire -rescue/hazardous -materials/spill -release -reporting

Mass Casualty Incident/ Terrorism
The Global Terrorism Database, which tracks acts of terror since 1970, does not identify any terrorist acts in Colton. It does list 10 acts of terrorism in San Bernardino County, most notably on December 2, 2015, when two people pledging allegiance to the Daesh extremist group (also called ISIS, ISIL, or the Islamic State) attacked a holiday party in San Bernardino, killing 14 people and wounding 24 with firearms and pipe bombs before the terrorists fled and were killed by police.
55 There has been one other terrorist attack in San Bernardino County that caused injury: on March 16, 1970, white extremists firebombed the house of Norris Gregory, San Bernardino’s first African American City Council member. Gregory suffered minor injuries putting out the fire, which caused an estimated $4,000 damage. Other events include a 1970 firebombing of Redlands University that caused $40,000 in damage, a 2016 arson attack on a church in Redlands that caused $2,000 in damage, and a series of bombings and arson events in Trona in the spring of 1970 that may have been related to an ongoing strike at the American Potash Plant in the communit y.
56 55 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). 2016. Global Terrorism Database. https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/.
56 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). 2016. Global Terrorism Database. https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/.

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Power Failure
There have been multiple instances of power failure in Colton. The following are some of the larger failures on record.
• On September 1, 2017, a day when temperatures in Colton were expected to hit 107 degrees, a lightning strike caused 50,000 homes and businesses in Colton to lose power, forcing businesses and the school district to close. According to City staff, the lightning struck an Edison substation that the Colton Electric Utility uses to power the City. Power was restored to the majority of the City by approximately 5 p.m. • An Edison power line went down near M Street and Mount Vernon on January 12, 2022, causing a significant power outage in portions of central and southeastern Colton and parts of Grand Terrace. Edison lines cross over Colton power lines, and when the line/pole fell, it caused damage to Colton lines. Edison crews had to remove cables that affected the Colton lines and caused the outage before Colton crews could begin work restoring power, one circuit at a time.
• A power outage affecting the Cooley circuit occurred in the late evening of August 31 , 2023. Colton Utilities crews dispatched to diagnose and repair the issues. The majority of businesses and residential areas had their power restored by 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 1. However, Rancho Mediterranean is a master -metered location with a single connection to the Colton Utility line. Upon thorough inspection of all equipment, facilities, cables, and infrastructure, it was determined that the fault was locate d on the property of 700 E. Washington, which fell outside the City's jurisdiction as Rancho Mediterranean is private property. To assist Rancho Mediterranean residents, a cooling center opened at the Gonzales Center at 670 Colton Avenue, where cell phones and other devices could be charged.

Risk of Future Events
Infrastructure Failure
Infrastructure failures are expected to continue to occur in and around Colton. Intense storm systems, landslides, and other events will likely continue to clog storm drains, break water and wastewater pipes, and bring down power lines. More significant infrastructure failure events are a possibility, particularly if such infrastructure is not well -maintained, but the risk of these major events is unknown.

Hazardous Materials
So long as hazardous materials are used in Colton and transported through the community, hazardous material releases will continue to occur. Based on past experiences, there will likely be several small release events each year. Although major events have not occurred, the possibility of such releases remains.

Mass Casualty Incident/ Terrorism
The risk of terrorism is generally a function of national or global conditions, such as social, political, and economic factors. The specific risk to an individual community cannot be accurately forecast. Colton is not a highly prominent city in the region , and therefore the risk is likely lower than for many other Southern California communities. At the same time, the significant industrial presence in Colton may make it more likely to be a target, and as mentioned

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before, terrorism may happen anywhere. Terrorism in Colton is likely to be a rare event, but the possibility is likely higher than in some other nearby communities.

Power Failure
Today, several mechanisms are in place to monitor, manage, and adapt to changing conditions and demands to help reduce or eliminate energy failures. California and regional departments (Cal ISO, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Western Electricity Coordinating Council, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission), and CEU are focused on energy production, use, and management. Each agency plays a role in planning, managing, and coordinating the allocation of energy within California. Colton can experience a power/energy failure anywhere and anytime throughout the year. The probability of it occurring again will always be present, as the City depends on electricity to function.

Climate Change Considerations
Infrastructure Failure
Climate change may affect some types of infrastructure failure. As discussed elsewhere in this chapter, climate change may cause floods, landslides, wildfires, and severe weather events to occur more frequently and/or to be more severe. These natural hazar ds may result in infrastructure failure, and so climate change may indirectly cause infrastructure failure events to occur more often and/or with greater severity.

Hazardous Materials
Climate-related natural hazard events, such as increased precipitation and subsequent flooding, could lead to an increase in hazardous material releases. Some of these incidents could result from transportation crashes (due to poorer road conditions) or damage to storage containers or vessels containing these substances. Climate -related hazards could also exacerbate the effects and impacts of suc h events. For example, heavier rains could lead to more runoff from a contaminated hazardous materials site. Thes e issues should be monitored during the five-year implementation period of this Plan.

Mass Casualty Incident/ Terrorism
The link between mass casualty incidents/terrorism and climate change is not well understood.

However, it has been suggested that the impacts of a changing climate may exacerbate existing social, political, religious, and ethnic tensions. For example, long er, more intense droughts may restrict food supply or limit economic growth for cities, regions, or even whole countries.

Nevertheless, the likelihood of climate change impacting mass casualty incidents/acts of terrorism in Colton is negligible, as these changes are more likely to affect developments on the national or international level.

Power Failure
Projections of changing climatic conditions through the end of the century suggest that the City should address future power failure concerns. Energy demand is not expected to increase significantly throughout the City (due to compliance with updated codes and requirements); however, some electricity production still occurs outside the City, reducing opportunities for Colton to be energy independent . To better address energy/power failure, Colton's current and future climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts should prioritize energy efficiency

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measures, focus on continuing to generate energy locally from clean and renewable sources, and build reliability & redundancy using the latest energy storage and backup systems technologies.

SEISMIC HAZARDS
Description
Seismic hazards are associated with earthquakes and include fault rupture, liquefaction, and seismic shaking. Landslides, which are a potential consequence of earthquakes, are discussed separately under the “ Geologic Hazards” section.

Fault Rupture
The shifting and movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates is responsible for seismic events.

These tectonic plates can pull away from, move toward, or pass by each other. As they do, the plates sometimes lock together. This creates tension, and the built -up tension is eventually released like a springboard. The tens ion dissipates into the Earth’s crust.

The location at which two tectonic plates join is called a fault line . Fault lines are sometimes visible on the Earth’s crust as sudden rifts or anomalies in the continuity of the landscape.

California's major north-south fault line is the San Andreas Fault, where the North American and Pacific Plates meet. Constant frictio n between the two plates over the millennia has caused the areas where the two plates intersect to become fragmented, creating new, smaller faults.

The area near a fault line is at risk of damage due to the potential for a fault rupture—the deformation or displacement of land on either side of the fault, which may move a few inches to several feet in opposite directions. Any buildings or infrastructure situated around, on top of, or across a fault line could potentially be severely damaged or destroyed. The direction of the fault rupture depends upon the fault type. Dip-slip faults produce vertical shearing; strike- slip faults produce horizontal sheari ng; and oblique -slip faults produce both vertical and horizontal shearing. A fourth kind of fault, called a “blind” fault, produces virtually no visible land displacement.

Some faults have emerged recently in geologic history. Quaternary faults have developed anytime between the Holocene Era and the present (within the last 1.8 million years). These faults are especially concerning since they are the most likely to be active and cause future earthquakes. The Alquist -Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act enables Californi a’s State Geologist to designate zones surrounding active faults as Alquist -Priolo Special Study Zones, which are special regulatory zone that requires additional study to determine the location of the fault and the limits of the area prohibited from surface construction on top of the known location of an active fault.

Liquefaction
Liquefaction occurs when water -saturated, loosely packed material (such as sand or silt) is suddenly shaken, as in an earthquake. This causes the material to temporarily act less like solid ground and more like a liquid. The material loses much of its stability when t his occurs and may no longer be able to support any buildings or structures built either on or in it. Buildings, roadways, rail lines, or other structures built on the soil may be damaged or could collapse completely when liquefaction occurs. P ipelines or other utility lines running through a

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liquefaction zone can be breached during a liquefaction event, potentially leading to flooding or the release of hazardous materials.

Seismic Shaking
Seismic shaking is the actual shaking from an earthquake and is often the most damaging effect.

The shaking is typically strongest at the epicenter, which is the point on the surface directly above the hypocenter (the focus or point of origin underground), and remains st rong along the part of the fault that slipped, decreasing with distance from the fault. However, local geology can also influence the severity of seismic shaking. For example, an area located above firm bedrock may experience less shaking. In comparison, an area built on loose rocks and soil may experience more shaking, even if they are the same distance from the epicenter. The shaking can destroy buildings, roads, railways, power lines, utility pipes, and any other structure that cannot resist the force of the earthquake. This damage may cause secondary hazards, such as fires from broken gas mains or downed power lines, floods and sinkholes from broken water pipes, or the release of hazardous materials, among others.

Location and Extent
Fault Rupture
There is one fault in Colton that has the known potential to cause fault rupture: the San Jacinto Fault. This fault line passes along Colton’s eastern border with the cities of Loma Linda and San Bernardino. It extends to the northwest, to Lytle Creek , and to the southeast as far as the outskirts of El Centro in the Imperial Valley. The total length of the fault is approximately 130 miles.
57 A second fault, the Rialto -Colton Fault, also runs diagonally through the City from northwest to southeast, very roughly cutting Colton in half. Relatively little is known about the Rialto-Colton fault, though if it is active (and there is some evidence suggesting that it is), there is a possibility that it could cause surface rupture.
58 Figure 10 shows the fault rupture hazard
zones in Colton.

There is no scale for measuring the magnitude or severity of fault rupture. Typically, a fault rupture is measured by the length of the section of fault that moved, or how far land on one side of the fault moved relative to the other (known as the slip ). The longer the length of the fault rupture, the larger the area affected by the physical shearing. The magnitude of the damage is often a function of the size of the slip.

57 USGS (United States Geological Survey). 2015. “UCERF3: A New Earthquake Forecast for California’s Complex Fault System”. https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2015/3009/
58 Gandhok, G., Catching, R. D., Rymer, M. J., et al. 2003. Shallow Geometry and Velocities along the Rialto - Colton Fault, San Bernardino Basin, California. American Geophysical Union Fall 2003 Meeting

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FIGURE 10. FAULTS AND ALQUIST -PRIOLO SPECIAL STUDY ZONES

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Liquefaction
The liquefaction risk in Colton is highest near the Santa Ana River between South La Cadena Drive and South Mt. Vernon Avenue. An area of medium liquefaction risk surrounds this zone, which includes the Cooley Ranch neighborhood between the Santa Ana River and Interstate 215, and in the upper parts of Reche Canyon south of Shane Drive. There is a lower (but still elevated) risk of liquefaction extending farther away from the Santa Ana River out to Valley Boulevard and Washington Street, and in the other low -lying areas of Reche Canyon. The Rialto-Colton Fault acts as a barrier to groundwater flow, limiting the liquefaction risk zone to the areas around the Santa Ana River upstream of the fault line. 59 Figure 11 shows the
liquefaction hazard zones in Colton.

Liquefaction is not measured using any specific scale. The severity of a liquefaction event is linked to the type of ground material, the amount of water, the strength of the shaking, and the size of the affected area.

Seismic Shaking
Colton is in a seismically active area —the wider Southern California region is well known for seismic activity —and several different faults could cause seismic shaking in the community.

There have been numerous past earthquakes that have affected the community to various degrees. All locations in Colton are at risk of seismic shaking.

The strength of seismic shaking is linked to several functions, including the amount of energy released by the fault rupture, the length of the fault rupture, and the hypocenter’s depth.

Generally, the more energy released, the longer the fault rupture, and the closer to the surface the hypocenter was, the stronger the shaking. The strongest earthquake ever recorded, the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, experienced an estimated fault rupture length of approximately 500 miles .
60 A substantially smaller fault rupture can still cause significant damage, depending on other characteristics. For example, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, one of the most damaging in Southern California, ruptured along a length of approximately nine miles.
61 The intensity of seismic shaking is usually measured with the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale. This is based on the amount of observed damage rather than a physical measurement of the earthquake itself. Different locations will have different MMI m easurements depending on the amount of damage done. The MMI uses Roman numerals on a scale of I (1, the weakest) to XII (12, the strongest). Table 17 shows the MMI scale.

59 DWR (California Department of Water Resources). 2004. Upper Santa Ana Valley Groundwater Basin, Rialto- Colton Subbasin. https://water.ca.gov/ -/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Groundwater - Management/Bulletin- 118/Files/2003-Basin-Descriptions/8_002_04_Rialto- ColtonSubbasin.pdf 60 Kanamori, H., and Cipar, J. J. 1974. Focal Process of the Great Chilean Earthquake May 22, 1960.

Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 9(1974). Pages 128- 136. 61 USGS and SCEC (United States Geological Survey and Southern California Earthquake Center). 1994. The Magnitude 6.7 Northridge, California, Earthquake of 17 January 1994. Science, 266(5184). Pages 389-397

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TABLE 17. MODIFIED MERCALLI INTENSITY SCALE
Intensity Description Description
I Instrumental Felt only by very few people under especially favorable conditions.

II Feeble Felt only by a few people at rest, especially on the upper floors of buildings.

III Slight Noticeable by people indoors, especially on upper floors, but not always recognized as an earthquake.

IV Moderate Felt by many indoors and by some outdoors. Sleeping people may be awakened. Dishes, windows, and doors are disturbed.

V Slightly strong
Felt by nearly everyone, and many sleeping people are
awakened. Some dishes and windows broken, and unstable
objects overturned.

VI Strong Felt by everyone. Some heavy furniture is moved, and there is slight damage.

VII Very strong
Negligible damage in well- built buildings, slight to moderate damage in ordinary buildings, and considerable damage in poorly built buildings.

VIII Destructive
Slight damage in well- built buildings, considerable damage and partial collapse in ordinary buildings, and great damage in poorly built buildings.

IX Ruinous
Considerable damage in specially designed structures. Great damage and partial collapse in substantial buildings, and buildings are shifted off foundations.

X Disastrous
Most foundations and buildings with masonry or frames are destroyed, along with some well -built wood structures. Rail lines are bent.

XI Very disastrous Most or all masonry structures are destroyed, along with bridges. Rail lines are greatly bent.

XII Catastrophic Damage is total. The lines of sight are distorted, and objects are thrown into the air.

Source : https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/modified -mercalli- intensity -mmi-scale -assigns -intensities

In addition to the UCERF3, the USGS has also prepared several scenarios showing the potential intensity of different earthquakes depending on the location, fault, and magnitude of the earthquake. Several of these scenarios project shaking that would register at least VI (Strong) on the MMI scale. Table 18 shows a sample of these scenarios.

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TABLE 18. SELECTED EARTHQUAKE SCENARIOS
Fault Name
Magnitude
(Mw)
Distance
(Miles) * MMI in Colton
San Jacinto Fault

6.7 9 VII–VIII (Very Strong to Destructive)

7.0 5 VIII–IX (Destructive to Ruinous)

7.3 39 VII (Very Strong)

7.8 64 VIII–IX (Destructive to Ruinous)
San Andreas

6.9 11 VII–VIII (Very Strong to Destructive)

7.5 23 VIII (Destructive)

7.8 54 VIII (Destructive)

8.0 115 VIII (Destructive)
Elsinore Fault

6.9 25 VI (Strong)

7.8 51 VII (Very Strong)
Pinto Mountain Fault 7.3 58 VI (Strong)
Source: USGS 2017
* As measured from downtown Colton to the modeled epicenter.

Seismic shaking may also be measured using the moment magnitude scale (MMS, denoted as Mw or sometimes M), which measures the amount of energy the earthquake releases. The MMS begins at 1.0 and increases the more energy is released. It is a logarithmic scale, meaning that the difference in energy between two measurements is substantially greater than the difference between the measurements themselves. For example, a 6.5 Mw earthquake releases approximately 1.4 times as much energy as a 6.4 Mw earthquake, and 1,000 times as much energy as a 4.5 Mw earthquake. The MMS replaces the Richter scale, which is a similar scale but less reliable when measuring large earthquakes. Figure 12 displays the seismic shaking potential within the City.

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FIGURE 11 . LIQUEFACTION HAZARD ZONES

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FIGURE 12. SEISMIC SHAKING POTENTIAL IN COLTON

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Past Events
Fault Rupture
Although the San Jacinto Fault runs through Colton and has ruptured in recorded history, there are no records of surface rupture in Colton. Surface ruptures on this fault outside of Colton have ranged from five inches to approximately three feet.
62 There are no known records of fault
rupture on the Rialto-Colton Fault, although there is some evidence the fault has been active in recent geologic times, and it may be capable of causing surface rupture. 63 Earthquakes on other faults in the region have resulted in measurable surface fault rupture. • The 1999 Hector Mine earthquake north of Joshua Tree ruptured along a length of 26 miles and caused as much as 17 feet of displacement.
• The 1992 Landers earthquake near Yucca Valley ruptured along a 53- mile length and caused fault rupture of around 10 to 13 feet, although some areas saw as much as 20 feet of displacement.
• The 1971 San Fernando earthquake caused a surface rupture along 12 miles, with a maximum displacement of 6 feet.
• More historically, the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake caused as much as 30 feet of displacement along its 225- mile length, stretching from northern San Luis Obispo County to the Cajon Pass.
64 Liquefaction
There is no historical record of liquefaction in Colton, although it has occurred in the wider region. Both the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the 1971 San Fernando earthquake caused liquefaction in the San Fernando Valley area. 65 After the 1992 Landers earthquake, liquefaction was observed east of Big Bear and in the Santa Ana River canyon of the San Bernardino Mountains. 66 Liquefaction also likely occurred because of the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake. 67 Seismic Shaking
The most substantial major earthquake in Colton was the 1992 Landers earthquake, which had an epicenter approximately 51 miles east of Colton, north of Yucca Valley. The earthquake measured 7.3 Mw and had a maximum MMI of IX (Ruinous). In Colton the earthq uake had an

62 SCEDC (Southern California Earthquake Data Center).“Elmore Ranch Earthquake/Superstition Hills Earthquake.” http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/elmoreranch1987.html 63 Gandhok, G., Catching, R. D., Rymer, M. J., et al. 2003. Shallow Geometry and Velocities along the Rialto- Colton Fault, San Bernardino Basin, California. American Geophysical Union Fall 2003 Meeting. 64 SCEDC (Southern California Earthquake Data Center). “Hector Mine Earthquake”. http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/hectormine1999.html ; SCEDC (Southern California Earthquake Data Center).“Landers Earthquake.” http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/landers1992.html .; SCEDC (Southern California Earthquake Data Center). “San Fernando Earthquake.” http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/sanfernando1971.html ; SCEDC (Southern California Earthquake Data Center). “Fort Tejon Earthquake.” http://scedc.caltech.edu/significant/forttejon1857.html . 65 Bennett, M. J. 1989. “Liquefaction Analysis of the 1971 Ground Failure at the San Fernando Valley Juvenile Hall, California.” Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, v. 2. Pages 209- 226. 66 Barrows, A.G. 1993. “Rockfalls and surface effects other than faulting Landers and Big Bear earthquakes.” California Geology, v. 46. Pages 17 -23.
67 Stover, C. W., and Coffman, J. L. 1993. Seismicity of the United States, 1568 –1989 (Revised). https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1527/report.pdf .

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MMI of VI (Strong) and caused approximately $400,000 in damage. 68 The 1992 Big Bear earthquake, which occurred three hours after the Landers event, was centered approximately 29 miles northeast of Colton. It measured 6.3 Mw and had an MMI in Colton of VI (Strong), costing the community approximately $92,000. 69
There have also been several other earthquakes that did not cause substantial impacts to Colton but were sufficient to register an MMI of at least V (Slightly Strong) in the community.

Table 19 shows these events.

TABLE 19. SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKES NEAR COLTON Earthquake Name
Distance
(Miles) *
Magnitude
(Mw) †
Intensity (MMI) ‡
Maximum In Colton
2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake
(July 5th) 108 7.1 VIII (Destructive) V (Slightly Strong) 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake
(July 4th) 108 6.4 VIII (Destructive) V (Slightly Strong) 1999 Hector Mine earthquake 70 7.1 VIII (Destructive) V (Slightly Strong) 1994 Northridge earthquake 71 6.7 VIII (Destructive) V (Slightly Strong) 1992 Big Bear earthquake 29 6.3 VIII (Destructive) VI (Strong) 1992 Landers earthquake 51 7.3 IX (Ruinous) VI (Strong) 1987 Whittier Narrows
earthquake 57 5.9 VII (Very Strong) V (Slightly Strong) 1971 San Fernando (Sylmar)
earthquake 65 6.6 VIII (Destructive) V (Slightly Strong) 1968 Borrego Mountain
earthquake 93 6.6 VIII (Destructive) V (Slightly Strong) 1933 Long Beach earthquake 50 6.4 Unknown Unknown
1923 North San Jacinto
earthquake 6 6.3 Unknown Unknown
1918 San Jacinto earthquake 30 Appx. 6.7 Unknown Unknown 1910 Elsinore earthquake 24 Appx. 6.0 Unknown Unknown
1899 San Jacinto Fault Zone
earthquake 40 Appx. 6.5 Unknown Unknown
1812 Wrightwood earthquake Appx. 25–
30 Appx. 7.5 Unknown Unknown
Sources: SCEDC 2013f, 2013g, 2013h, 2013i; USGS 2018a, 2018b, 2018c, 2018d, 2018e, 2018f, 2018g, 2018h, 2018i. * As measured from downtown Colton to the epicenter.
† Magnitudes before 1920 are measured using the Richter scale. Other magnitudes are measured in the MMS. ‡ The MMI from older earthquakes are unknown, but it is possible that these events measured at least a V (Slightly Strong), given their magnitude and proximity to Colton.

68 Colton, City of. 2011. City of Colton Hazard Mitigation Plan. http://ca- colton.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/3138; USGS USGS (United States Geological Survey). “M 7.3 – 10km N of Yucca Valley, CA.”
69 Colton, City of. 2011. City of Colton Hazard Mitigation Plan. http://ca- colton.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/3138; USGS USGS (United States Geological Survey). “M 6.3 – 7km SSE of Big Bear City, CA.”

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Risk of Future Events
Fault Rupture
Although the San Jacinto Fault has not experienced surface rupture in Colton’s boundaries in recorded history, there have been observed surface ruptures on this fault in other locations.

There is therefore some risk that future earthquake events on this fault could result in a surface fault rupture in Colton, although the chances that this will occur in the foreseeable future are unknown. The risk of surface rupture on the Rialto- Colton Fault is unknown, as it is not clear if the fault is capable of surface rupture.

Liquefaction
Although there is no record of liquefaction events in Colton, certain parts of the community are prone to liquefaction. Due to this, a sufficiently strong earthquake in the region could trigger liquefaction in Colton, particularly in the area near the Santa Ana River. Earthquakes on the San Jacinto and San Andreas faults are most likely to trigger liquefaction, given their proximity to Colton and their potential to cause major earthquakes. Earthquakes from other faults are less likely to cause liqu efaction, although it remains a possibility.

Seismic Shaking
Seismic shaking is a virtual inevitability in Colton, given that the community is near multiple major fault lines and has experienced substantial seismic shaking from past earthquake events.

The Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast provides the likelihood of a major earthquake on various faults between 2015 and 2044.
70 Table 20 shows the probabilities of a
significant earthquake by magnitude on the key fault lines near Colton, as estimated by the UCERF3 forecast.

TABLE 20. PROBABILITIES OF SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKE SCENARIOS NEAR COLTON Fault
Distance
(Miles) *
Probability †

6.7+ Mw 7.0+ Mw 7.5+ Mw 8.0+ Mw
San Jacinto
Fault Less than 1 6.52% 6.26% 5.20% 2.64%
San Andreas
Fault
(southern
segments)
7 25.87% 22.06% 18.53% 6.81%
Cucamonga
Fault 10 1.53% 1.27% 0.76% 0.03%
Whittier Fault 23 1.64% 1.47% 0.81% <0.01%
Elsinore Fault 23 3.83% 1.95% 1.08% <0.01%
Sierra Madre
Fault 25 1.43% 1.12% 0.73% 0.03%
Pinto
Mountain
Fault
34 3.07% 2.98% 1.25% Negligible

70 SCEC (Southern California Earthquake Center). 2015. “Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forest.” https://www.scec.org/ucerf .

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TABLE 20. PROBABILITIES OF SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKE SCENARIOS NEAR COLTON Fault
Distance
(Miles) *
Probability †

6.7+ Mw 7.0+ Mw 7.5+ Mw 8.0+ Mw
Lenwood-
Lockhart-Old
Woman
Springs Fault
43 1.30% 0.96% 0.02% Negligible
Newport-
Inglewood
Fault
48 1.08% 0.78% 0.16% Negligible
Emerson-
Copper
Mountain
Fault
54 1.01% 0.71% 0.08% Negligible
Palos Verdes
Fault 58 2.67% 2.37% 0.92% Negligible
Calico-Hidalgo
Fault 60 2.77% 2.40% 0.73% Negligible
Santa Susana
Fault 61 4.20% 2.71% 0.77% <0.01%
Oak Ridge
Fault 84 3.07% 2.78% 1.11% <0.01%
Garlock Fault 91 4.82% 4.65% 2.78% 0.30%
Source: USGS 2015.
* As measured from downtown Colton to the closest part of the fault. † UCERF3 presents odds of fault rupture by individual fault segment. The odds presented here are the highest odds given for any individual segment.

Based on the UCERF3 probabilities and the various scenarios explored by the USGS, the faults of greatest concern for Colton are the San Jacinto and San Andreas faults. The San Jacinto Fault is less likely to rupture (it has approximately a 7 percent chance of causing a 6.7 Mw or greater earthquake by 2044), but since it runs directly under Colton, significant earthquakes have the potential to cause somewhat greater damage. The San Andreas Fault has a great chance of a major rupture (it has approximately a 26 percent chance of causing a 6.7 Mw or greater earthquake by 2044), but because it is farther from Colton, the intensity of the earthquake in Colton may not be as high. However, although the San Andreas Fault is not likely capable of generating shaking in Colton as strong as that of the San Jacinto Fault, it is still capable of causing highly damaging earthquakes in the community. Several other faults can produce earthquakes strong enough to cause damage in Colton; while the odds of these earthquakes exper iencing a significant rupture is fairly low, it is still a possibility.

The Rialto -Colton Fault is not included in the UCERF3 study, nor has the USGS modeled potential earthquake events for this fault line. Although studies of the fault are limited, scientists at a 2003 conference noted that it “may present a significant earthquake hazard for the [San Bernardino Valley] region.”
71 Given that the Rialto- Colton Fault is connected to the San Jacinto

71 Gandhok, G., Catching, R. D., Rymer, M. J., et al. 2003. Shallow Geometry and Velocities along the Rialto - Colton Fault, San Bernardino Basin, California. American Geophysical Union Fall 2003 Meeting.

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Fault, it is possible that an earthquake on the San Jacinto Fault could also cause the Rialto - Colton Fault to rupture.

Climate Change Considerations
Fault Rupture
Geologic processes cause fault rupture. Although there is some evidence that melting land ice (a consequence of climate change) may affect seismic activity by redistributing weight from the land to the oceans, there is no reason yet to believe that this relationship would have a substantive im pact on faults in and around Colton. Thus, there are no reasonably expected changes to the community’s fault rupture risk because of climate change.

Liquefaction
Changes to precipitation patterns because of climate change could potentially affect liquefaction by altering groundwater levels, which could make soils prone to liquefaction during an earthquake event. However, it is unknown if these changes to groundwater levels will have any substantive impact on the liquefaction risk in Colton.

Seismic Shaking
Climate change is generally unconnected to the tectonic forces that cause earthquakes, although there may be a limited relationship between melting ice and seismic activity. However, these relationships remain uncertain, and the effect may not be substanti al enough to change the risk of earthquakes in a meaningful way.
72 Therefore, for all appreciable purposes, climate
change is not expected to affect seismic shaking in Colton.

SEVERE WEATHER
Severe weather is a very broad term that could refer to any number of intense weather events.

In this Plan, the term will be used to refer to extreme heat, severe wind, and severe winter weather.

Description
Extreme Heat
Extreme heat refers to a time when temperatures are substantially higher than normal levels.

For the purposes of hazard planning in California, extreme heat is more specifically defined as temperatures about 98 percent of the historic high temperatures for the area, as measured between April and October from 1961 to 1990. The threshold of extreme heat varies by location.

For example, the extreme heat threshold in the Northern California coast or the Lake Tahoe region may be considered normal temperatures in a desert community.

A series of days with an extreme heat event is called a heat wave. Extreme heat events are a function of both temperature and humidity, as high humidity levels can make the air feel hotter than it really is. The perceived temperature resulting from this effect is called the heat index,

72 Johnson, C. W., Fu, Y., and Bürgmann, R. 2017. Stress Models of the Annual Hydrospheric, Atmospheric, Thermal, and Tidal Loading Cycles on California Faults: Perturbation of Background Stress and Changes in Seismicity. Journal of Geophysical Research, 122. Pages 10,605-10,625

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which can be significantly higher than the actual temperature. For example, an air temperature of 90°F with 90 percent humidity can make the temperature feel more than 120°F.

Extreme heat can cause several heat-related illnesses and other health risks, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and (more severely) heat stroke. These events can be particularly damaging to infants and senior citizens, who have less ability to maintain a safe internal body temperature (and therefore can overheat more easily during extreme temperatures), and people who work outdoors or in other exposed areas, such as construction workers. Very high temperatures also reduce the effectiveness of power li nes. In combination with increased demand for electricity (to run air conditioning units), extreme heat events can stress electrical infrastructure and increase the rate of failure.

Severe Wind
Wind is the movement of air through the atmosphere due to differences in air pressure, caused by local and regional variations in temperature, topography, and the Earth’s rotation. Air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of lower pressure. Places where the air pressure changes substantially over a short distance will generally experience the most severe wind, while places with more gradual pressure difference s will see calmer breezes.

Severe wind is any wind that can harm people or property. This is generally winds with speeds at or above 47 miles per hour (mph), which is typically the threshold for structural damage (although damage is possible at a lower speed). The primary risk from severe wind is property damage, often caused by fallen tree limbs or airborne debris. People can be struck by debris or broken branches, causing injury or death. Additionally, severe wind can cause enough fallen or windblown material to block roads and rai lways, interrupting transportation networks and all activities depending on them. Power lines can be knocked down by severe wind, which may spark wildfires in addition to harming electrical service.

Winds may accompany storms (which are areas of low pressure) but may occur independent of storm systems. Many storm systems have some type of high wind event, including tornadoes, which are the most well -known and can cause significant damage due to the ex treme wind speeds involved (in excess of 200 mph in the most severe cases). Other types of severe winds associated with strong storm systems include downbursts, microbursts, and derechos. Severe winds that occur independent of storm systems include Souther n California’s infamous Santa Ana winds.

Severe Winter Weather
Severe winter weather , for the purposes of this Plan, refers to the intense storm systems that sometimes occur during the rainy winter season. There is no specific factor that separates a severe winter weather event from other storms, but in general these systems include strong wind, heavy rainfall, and occasionally lightning and hail. As noted in the “Floods” section, severe winter weather events are often associated with ARs and ENSO cycles. Severe winter storms are generally more common during the ENSO w arm phase.
73 73 Jong, B. T., Ting, M, and Seager, R. 2016. El Niño’s impact on California precipitation: seasonality, regionality, and El Niño intensity. Environmental Research Letters, 11(5)

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Location and Extent
Extreme Heat
The threshold for an extreme heat event in Colton is approximately 104. 6°F.74 Extreme heat events may be measured using the temperature or heat index of the event. The risk associated with extreme heat is the same throughout the C ity, there is not any specific location more susceptible to extreme temperatures, however certain community conditions like construction materials, vegetation density, and other design factors can play a role in vulnerability to extreme heat events.

Severe Wind
Strong winds can occur anywhere in Colton, although they may be strongest at the bottom of passes and canyons, such as in the Reche Canyon neighborhood. Some areas may be more sheltered from a particular wind event due to local topography and the specific conditions of the event, but such locations may be more exposed to high winds from another event.

Winds are usually measured using the Beaufort scale, developed in 1805. It categorizes winds on a scale of force 0 to force 12 based on their speed and observed effects. Winds that rank force 9 or higher on the Beaufort scale may be considered severe. Table 21 shows the Beaufort scale. Some very severe wind types are measured using more specialized scales. Hurricanes are measured with the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, and tornadoes are measured with the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale.

Severe Winter Weather
All areas of Colton face a generally equal risk of severe winter weather events, although variations in the storm may make the specific effects stronger or weaker in different parts of the community. There is no standard scale for classifying such events, and they may be measured based on factors such as wind speed, precipitation amounts or rates, or the amount of damage done.

TABLE 21. BEAUFORT SCALE
Force Speed (mph) Description
1 0 to 1 Calm: Smoke rises vertically, and the sea is flat 2 1 to 3 Light air: The direction of wind is shown by smoke drift, but not wind vanes
3 4 to 7 Light breeze: Wind is felt on the face, leaves rustle, and wind vanes are moved. Small wavelets appear on the ocean, but do not break
4 8 to 12 Gentle breeze: Leaves and small twigs are in motion, and light flags are extended. Large wavelets appear on the ocean, and crests begin to break
5 13 to 18 Moderate breeze: Dust and loose paper become airborne, and small branches are moved. Small waves appear on the ocean 6 19 to 24 Fresh breeze: Small trees begin to sway and moderate waves form 7 25 to 31 Strong breeze: Large branches are in motion, and using an umbrella becomes difficult. Large waves begin to form

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TABLE 21. BEAUFORT SCALE
Force Speed (mph) Description
8 32 to 38 Near gale: Whole trees are in motion and walking against the wind can be hard. Foam from breaking waves is blown in streaks 9 39 to 46 Gale: Walking is difficult, and twigs break off trees 10 47 to 54 Severe gale: Slight structural damage. Crests of waves begin to topple
11 55 to 63 Storm: Trees are uprooted and considerable damage to structures.

Very high waves form in long, overhanging crests
12 63 to 72 Violent storm: Widespread damage. Exceptionally high waves form, and the ocean is completely covered in foam
*Source: https://www.weather.gov/mfl/beaufort

Past Events
Extreme Heat
The highest recorded temperature in the City is 116°F, measured in June 1917 and again in August 1933. 75 Several notable extreme heat events have occurred in the region, including the July 2006 heat wave that killed approximately 140 people statewide and a series of heat waves from August to October of 2017. 76
Based on Cal Adapt’s historical information (1950 through 2005), the city experiences five extreme heat days per year. During this same period, the city averaged (1) 3-day heatwave every year. Climate modeling under RCP 4.5 (the medium emissions scenario) predicts that by 2035, the city will experience ( 5) 3-day heatwave events per year and ( 7) 3-day heatwave events per year by the end of the century (2070- 2099). Climate modeling under RCP 8.5 (the high emissions scenario) predicts that by 2035, the city will experience ( 7) 3-day heatwave events per year and (1 2) 3-day heatwave events per year by the end of the century (2070 - 2099). In 2022, California experienced one of its worst heatwaves on record . From September 1 to September 9, 2022, temperature records for September were shattered across the western portion of the United States.

The County of San Bernardino , including the City, has issued multiple high heat advisories or excessive heat warnings between 2020 and 2025:
• In July of 2022, San Bernardino and Riverside Count ies issued an excessive heat warnings, with temperatures ranging from 98 to 107° F . • On August 30, 2022, an excessive heat warning was issued for parts of Southern California, including San Bernardino County .

75 WRCC (Western Regional Climate Center). 2016. “San Bernardino F S 226, California (047723)”. https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi -bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca7723
76 California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). 2023. State Hazard Mitigation Plan. https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office -of-the-director/operations/recovery -directorate/hazard -mitigation/state -mitigation- planning/

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• On July 13, 2023, the County of San Bernardino issued an excessive heat warning, residents were urged to stay informed and protect themselves from the summer heat . • On June 6, 2024, the San Bernardino County Health Officer issued a heat advisory as extreme heat was expected to begin that day and continue through early the following week
• On July 3, 2024, the San Bernardino County Health Officer issued a heat advisory as extreme heat was expected to begin that day and continue through the weekend. • On July 10, 2024, an excessive heat warning was in effect for the Inland Empire, including San Bernardino County, with temperatures remaining high . • On July 10, 2025, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Inland Empire, including San Bernardino County, with temperatures in the valleys reaching or exceeding triple digits.
• From July 8-10, 2025, a heat advisory was issued for the Inland Empire and valleys as the region prepared for triple- digit weather.77
Severe Wind
There have been several high wind events reported in and around Colton in recent years:
• On May 5, 1998, strong thunderstorms across the region caused high winds that shredded the roof of an auto repair shop in Rialto.
• On March 4, 2005, a small tornado touched down in Fontana. The tornado blew shingles off three homes, knocked down power lines and several trees, and ripped the roof off a water well building.
• On December 28, 2006 , a strong Santa Ana wind event knocked down trees and power lines throughout the region. Wind speeds as high as 56 mph were measured in Rialto.
• Early December of 2011, a storm caused wind speeds over 65 mph, knocking down hundreds of trees, downing power lines, and overturning trucks throughout the San Bernardino Valley. Later that month, another strong storm caused winds of 45 to 65 mph, with one recorded gust of at least 70 mph.
• In late January of 2012 , a storm system that hit the region caused wind gusts over 60 mph, knocking down power lines and blowing containers off semi -trucks. • In early March of 2012, strong winds affected the San Bernardino Valley region after a storm event, with gusts of over 60 mph.
• On February 28, 2014 , wind speeds of 48 mph from a thunderstorm caused a tree to fall onto a car in San Bernardino and caused a roof to collapse in Fontana.

77 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 2025. “Storm Events Database.” https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ .

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• In November of 2014, a Santa Ana wind event caused winds of approximately 50 mph, with damage reported throughout the region.
• On August 1, 2017, a thunderstorm resulted in wind speeds of 52 mph, knocking a two-foot-diameter tree onto a house in San Bernardino.
• In January of 2017, a series of three storms caused strong winds that knocked down hundreds of trees throughout the region, causing millions of dollars in damage. • On October 9, 2017, a strong Santa Ana wind event caused wind gusts of 70 mph. 78 • January 7, 2025, one of the most severe windstorms in years ripped through Southern California. Winds of 40 -60 mph were reported in San Bernardino County and Colton, while gusts of 80-100 mph occurred in the mountains of Los Angeles County.

Described as particularly dange rous by the National Weather Service, the storm and associated fires inspired numerous emergency alerts, in addition to alerts concerning dust and air quality throughout the region.

Severe Winter Weather
Severe winter weather events typically occur most years, with varying degrees of severity. Some particularly notable events from recent years include:
• November 10, 1997, a strong winter storm caused rainfall totals of up to 1.5 inches in coastal regions and up to 3 inches in the mountains. Street flooding was reported throughout Southern California.
• On February 10, 2001 , a strong storm dropped up to 2.5 inches of rain in Orange and San Bernardino counties. The storm killed two people in the region and injured another three.
• In February of 2005 , an extended series of storms dropped up to 6 inches of rain in the valley areas of Southern California. Total damages reached $26 million in San Bernardino County and $40 million statewide.
• A storm on January 19, 2010, caused extensive ponding in Colton and surrounding communities. The storm flooded a home in Fontana and damaged several cars in Redlands.
• On October 11, 2012, a storm gauge in the region recorded 1.02 inches of rain in a 25 - minute period. A warehouse roof in Fontana collapsed from accumulated rainfall. Water damaged ten homes in Riverside, Colton, and Fontana, and the storm caused extensive street flooding.
• In May of 2016, a late-season storm caused a building to collapse in Ontario. At Ontario International Airport, a storm gauge recorded 2.7 inches of rain per hour. 79 • On August 20, 2023, Tropical Storm Hillary hit Southern California, leaving record rainfall throughout the state. The storm left behind flooded roads, mudslides, and

78 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). “Climate Station Precipitation Summary – California Nevada River Forecast Center.” https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNOWRKCLI.php. 79 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 2018b. “Storm Events Database.” https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/

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downed trees. Some areas received up to 600% of their annual rainfall averages for the month of August. The floods killed one person in San Bernardino County, California. It caused over $900 million in damages in the U.S.

Risk of Future Events
Extreme Heat
As extreme heat events have occurred regularly in Colton’s past, it is all but certain that they will continue to occur in the future. It is possible that the threshold for what constitutes an extreme heat event may change in the long term. These events occur annually within the City, however the intensity of these events can vary. The probability of future occurrence is expected to be likely.

Severe Wind
High wind events will almost certainly continue to occur in and around Colton, given past events.

Winter storms and Santa Ana wind events will likely continue to remain the most common types of severe winds. High winds from tornadoes and tropical storms may occur in Colton’s future, but such events are expected to be very rare. These events occur annually within the City, however the intensity of these events can vary per year. The probability of future occurrence is expected to be likely.

Severe Winter Weather
Severe winter weather events are a regular feature of Colton’s climate, and all expectations are that they will continue to occur. Factors such as ARs and ENSO will very likely continue to play a role in the frequency and intensity of severe winter weather events. These events occur annually within the City, however the intensity of these events can vary per year. The probability of future occurrence is expected to be likely.

Climate Change Considerations
Extreme Heat
Climate change is expected to have a significant impact on extreme heat events, as warmer temperatures are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of these events. The specific number of extreme heat events is expected to vary depending on how severe climate change becomes. Under more moderate projections, Colton is expected to see an average of approximately 31 extreme heat days (those above 104° to 106°F) each year between 2070 and 2099. If more severe projections for climate change end up occur ring, the expectations are for Colton to see 47 to 48 extreme heat days annually toward the end of the 21st century . 80 Severe Wind
Strong storms may become more intense with climate change (as discussed below). This may mean an increase in the number of storms that are accompanied by severe wind events and/or an increase in the average intensity of these high winds. It is not yet know n if climate change will have any effect on Santa Ana winds. There is a possibility that the increase in storm intensity may lead to more storms that are strong enough to generate tornadoes, although given the

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rarity of tornadoes in the San Bernardino Valley region, it is unlikely that any such effects would be noticeable for the purposes of this Plan.

Severe Winter Weather
The specific impact of climate change on severe winter storm systems remains a subject of debate. It is likely that storms associated with ARs in southern California will become stronger.

As discussed in the “Floods” section, the typical Southern California AR storm is projected to become 10 to 20 percent more intense due to climate change, although the average number of AR storms affecting the region is not expected to change to a substantive degree. 81 Scientists are not yet clear if climate change will affect the ENSO cycle, and if so, what such effects would be. A 2014 study found that extreme warm periods of the ENSO cycle (which are strongly associated with frequent and intense storms in S outhern California) may occur twice as often due to climate change, although other studies found that ENSO will weaken (decreasing the frequency and intensity of the warm cycles), and still other studies found no risk of substantive change.
82 WILDFIRES
Description
Wildfires are fires that burn in undeveloped and natural areas. While they are relatively harmless to people when they burn in remote and uninhabited areas, they are dangerous when they move into areas known as the wildland -urban interface (WUI). These areas are the border between natural and urbanized areas and are increasingly developed because they are often desirable places to live. This type of development brings people and property into wildfire -prone areas, creating a significant haz ard risk. Additionally, wi ldfires may move past the WUI into fully developed areas and so may become urban fires . Development in the WUI throughout California, combined with the historical practice of suppressing naturally occurring wildfires (allowing dry fuel to accumulate), has made wildfires the most common type of hazard event in California. Since 1953 , there have been 250 federally declared disasters in California, 183 of which have been associated with fires.
83 Many things can cause wildfire, including lightning, fallen power lines , or improperly extinguished campfires. The size and severity of a fire relate to the local topography, weather conditions, and availability of fuel. However, fires do not need to be particularly large to be damaging. The Tunnel Fire in the Oakland Hills killed 25 people and destroyed 2,900 structures in 1991, but was only 1,600 acres in size. By contrast, the largest single wildfire in California’s recorded modern history —the 2020 August Complex Fire —reached close to 1.2 million acres, killed 1 firefighter, and destroyed 935 structures.
84 81 Oskin, B. 2014. “‘Atmospheric Rivers’ to Soak California as Climate Warms.” https://www.livescience.com/49225- atmospheric-rivers-double-climate-change.html 82Cho, R. 2016. “El Niño and Global Warming: What’s the Connection?” State of the Planet. http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2016/02/02/el -nino-and-global-warming-whats-the-connection/ 83 FEMA 2025
84 CAL FIRE. 2025. “Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires.” https://www.fire.ca.gov/our -impact/statistics.; Taras, Z. (2025, March 3).

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Historically, wildfire occurs most often in late summer and fall when temperatures are high and several months have passed since significant precipitation. This is likely to remain the case, although wildfires can still occur in other months . For example, the Thomas Fire began in December, and multiple fatal wildfires have started as early as June. 85 Location and Extent
Wildfires are generally measured by their size (typically the number of acres burned), although they may also be measured by the number of buildings destroyed or damaged, the number of injuries or deaths caused by fire, the cost of the damage, or other impact-related metrics. Areas that are prone to wildfires are classified into three categories of fire hazard severity zones (FHSZs): very high, high, and moderate. There is no specific risk level or fire size/intensity t hat corresponds to each level of FHSZ. Rather, these are qualitative terms that consider factors such as fire history, terrain, weather conditions, development, and fuel availability, among others.
86 Fire-prone areas can also be classified by the agency responsible for fire protection. Land protected by federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management is considered a Federal Responsibility Area (FRA). Land that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is responsible for is called a State Responsibility Area (SRA). Local governments are responsible for fire protection services in Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs). These responsibility areas do not necessarily correspond to jurisdictional boundaries. For example, many local communities contract with CAL FIRE to provide fire protection services inside their boundaries, even for land that is under local jurisdiction.

The La Loma Hills and Box Springs Mountains areas in southern Colton are both Very High FHSZs. The flatter areas in southwest Colton near the La Loma Hills are considered a Moderate FHSZ, extending as far north as Slover Avenue, and there are limited areas that are classified as High FHSZ on the boundary of the Very High FHSZ that covers La Loma Hills. There is a narrow band of Moderate and High FHSZs surrounding the Very High FHSZ that covers the Box Spring Mountains. There is also a Moderate FHSZ north of the Santa Ana River to the east of the Union Pacific railroad and south of Congress Street, another north of the Santa Ana River in western Colton as far north as Interstate 10, and a third near the intersection of Interstates 10 and 215. Most of Colton i s considered an LRA, although the unincorporated areas in the Reche Canyon neighborhood are SRAs. Figure 13 shows the wildfire hazard severity zones and the WUI. Figure 14 displays and historical wildfire perimeters of the City.

Past Events
There have been multiple wildfires in the Reche Canyon and La Loma Hills areas of Colton. The largest of these was the Colton Fire in June of 1981, which burned approximately 4,051 acres in the Box Springs Mountains to the south and west of Reche Canyon Road. Only a small portion of the burned acreage was in Colton, although this area includes what is now Reche Canyon Mobile Estates mobile home park and homes west of Cordillera Avenue. Other reported wildfires in Colton are:

85 CAL FIRE. 2025. “Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires.” https://www.fire.ca.gov/our -impact/statistics 86 Get ready. CAL FIRE. https://tinyurl.com/CAL -FIRE-link

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• An unnamed 1962 fire burned approximately 1,491 acres mostly in the unincorporated areas of Riverside County, although a small portion of the burned area extended into the extreme southeast corner of Colton.
• An unnamed fire in 1968 burned approximately 810 acres, including a small area of southwest Colton around Pellisier Road.
• The Blue Mountain Fire in 1969 burned approximately 463 acres around Reche Canyon, including the area around Canyon Drive and Cordillera Avenue. • The Blue Fire in 1980 burned approximately 247 acres. A small part of the burnt acreage included the undeveloped area around Blue Mountain in southeast Colton. • The Prado Fire in 1980 burned approximately 1,729 acres. Most of the burnt area was east of Colton, but the fire did extend into Colton between Crystal Ridge Lane and Scotch Lane in the Reche Canyon neighborhood.
• An unnamed fire in 1986 burned approximately 383 acres , mostly around Blue Mountain in southeast Colton.
• The Wick Fire in 1995 burned approximately 453 acres of largely undeveloped land in the southwest area of Reche Canyon.
• The 1996 Reche Fire burned approximately 280 acres, including the residential area around Tiffany Lane and Crystal Ridge Lane in the Reche Canyon neighborhood. • The Scott Fire in 2010 burned approximately 98 acres, including the ridgeline behind Crystal Ridge Lane in the Reche Canyon neighborhood.
87 Several other major wildfires have occurred in the region. Notable blazes include:
• The Williams Fire in 2002 burned approximately 38,119 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains behind Glendora and La Verne.
• The Grand Prix Fire in 2003 burned approximately 50,618 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains behind Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana.
• The Old Fire in 2003 burned approximately 91,428 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains between Interstate 15 and Running Springs.
• The 2006 Sawtooth Complex Fire burned approximately 61,767 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains behind Morongo Valley.
• The 2009 Station Fire burned approximately 160,833 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains behind Pasadena.
• The 2015 Lake Fire burned approximately 31,284 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains southeast of Big Bear.

87 CAL FIRE. 2025. Fire Perimeters [data table]. https://www.fire.ca.gov/what -we-do/fire-resource-assessment- program

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• The 2018 Valley Fire burned approximately 1,350 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest, causing 5 nonfatal injuries.
• The 2020 Apple Fire burned 33,424 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest, destroying 12 structures and 2 outbuildings. It caused one fatal injury. • The 2020 El Dorado Fire burned approximately 22,744 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains, resulting in the death of one firefighter and 12 other nonfatal injuries. It destroyed 10 structures and damaged 6 others, causing over $42 million in damages. • The 2024 Line Fire burned approximately 43,978 acres, destroying one structure, damaging 4 other structures, and causing 6 nonfatal injuries.

Based on historical records, most of Colton rarely burns(approximately every 126 to 150 years).

However, in the more fire-prone areas of the community, some locations burn as often as every 16 to 20 years, and other areas burn approximately every 50 years. 88 88USFS (United States Forest Service). 2014. LANDFIRE: Mean Fire Return Interval [data table]. https://landfire.gov/fire-regime/fri

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FIGURE 13. WILDFIRE HAZARD ZONES

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FIGURE 14. HISTORICAL WILDFIRE PERIMETERS

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Risk of Future Events
Given that wildfires have occurred in Colton in the past and that substantial parts of the community remain classified as areas of elevated fire risk, it is very likely that wildfires will continue to occur in Colton. The areas of highest risk are expected to remain the La Loma Hills and Box Spring Mountains/Reche Canyon area, although it is possible that surrounding neighborhoods are also at risk. Vacant industrial land and the Santa Ana Riverbed may help to buffer other parts of the community from wildfir e events, although under the right conditions a wildfire could jump these areas and threaten all of Colton.

Climate Change Considerations
Throughout the state, climate change is expected to increase temperatures, as well as causing more frequent and intense drought conditions. This will likely increase the amount of dry brush that can act as fuel for wildfires. Because of this, the overall s ize of areas burned by wildfires in California is expected to increase.
89 89 Cal Adapt Climate Tool

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CHAPTER 4 –

THREAT AND VULNERABILITY
Each of the hazards discussed in Chapter 3 can have varying effects on different populations and community assets in Colton. For example, while an extreme heat event will be equally severe across all of Colton, some people may be harmed more than others. This chapter analyzes how various hazard conditions may affect Colton and which populations and community assets face greater threats.

Threat Assessment Process
The threat assessment process looks at the harm that a hazard may cause to three different groups: the physical threat to key facilities, the threat to vulnerable populations, and the threat to any other community assets (noncritical facilities, key servic es, etc.).

KEY FACILITIES
A key facility is a building or structure that plays an important role in protecting the health, safety, and well-being of Colton’s community members. It includes major government and institutional facilities, care centers for vulnerable persons, and pieces of infrastructure. Some key facilities are owned by the City of Colton, while others are owned by other government agencies or private organizations. The Hazard Mitigation Planning Team has classified key facilities into three groups:
• Critical facilities. This includes public safety buildings such as fire stations and hospitals, schools, community centers (which can function as shelters or assembly points during a disaster), and facilities that keep vital services such as electricity and water systems oper ational. It also includes City administrative and maintenance centers.
• High potential loss. This category includes facilities that permanently or regularly house large numbers of vulnerable people , including adult and senior residential care, childcare, and foster agencies.
• Transportation and lifeline. This category includes pieces of infrastructure that help maintain transportation and communication systems in Colton. Cell phone towers, rail bridges, highway and major road bridges are all included in this category.

Table 22 shows the number of key facilities by their category and specific function. Appendix D contains a complete list of all key facilities.

The likelihood that all facilities are completely damaged simultaneously is extremely remote.

Most impacts are anticipated to be isolated to specific locations based on the hazard. This estimate does not include the value of underground infrastructure and surface drainage facilities owned and operated by the City.

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TABLE 22. KEY FACILITIES
Category Number of Facilities
Critical Facilities
City facility 2
Community center 4
Electric power facility 8
Fire station 4
Solar facility 3
Water treatment facility 1
Water infrastructure 25
Hospital 1
High Potential Loss
School 15
Adult residential care 10
Child care center 7
Elder residential care 5
Foster family agency 2
Transportation and Lifeline
Home care organization 1
Communication facility 16
Highway bridge 14
Rail bridge 7
Road bridge 13
Total 138

The threat assessment examines the number and types of key facilities located within areas of elevated risk for various hazards. These facilities face the risk of damage or destruction during a hazard event, reducing their ability to function or rendering them entirely nonfunctional.

Facilities outside of the elevated risk areas may still be affected by hazards, although t he risk of damage is lower. The threat assessment will also assess how key facilities may be harmed by hazard types that are not limited to specific risk areas , such as extreme heat. Figure 15 shows the location of key facilities in Colton except for those whose locations are restricted for security reasons.

If a hazard event causes the destruction of any key facility, the cost to replace the facility (paid by insurers, the City, other agencies, or private companies) will likely be considerable. The specific value of a handful of key facilities owned by the City is known. The threat assessment will identify the replacement costs of key facilities at risk of various hazards if any of the facilities with a known value are within a mapped hazard zone.

OTHER COMMUNITY ASSETS
Other assets in Colton may also be harmed by hazardous events. These assets include structures and pieces of infrastructure not identified as key facilities, important economic drivers, vital services, and local ecosystems. This chapter will identify the potential threat to these other community assets to the extent information is available.

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FIGURE 15. KEY FACILITIES IN COLTON

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VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
As previously mentioned, a hazard event that strikes Colton with equal severity may have very different impacts on different groups of people. Age, socioeconomic status, physical and mental condition, and many other factors can influence the ability of peo ple to be more resilient to hazard events. For example, wealthier homeowners living in older homes are more likely to be able to afford seismic retrofitting, compared to homeowners in similar homes with lower income levels. As a result, lower -income househ olds may suffer greater damage from an earthquake than those with higher income levels.

The threat analysis looks at how people with various characteristics may be more vulnerable to hazard events and therefore may be considered vulnerable populations. This Plan assesses the following characteristics:
• Disability status. People with disabilities often have reduced mobility, and in some cases may have challenges taking care of themselves. This can reduce their ability to mitigate themselves, their homes, and their property against hazard events, particularly if they do not have as sistance from others.
• Limited English proficiency. People who have a limited command of English can have a harder time obtaining information to help mitigate against hazard events, including information about financing opportunities and alerts about pending disasters. • Income levels. People with lower incomes are less likely to have adequate financial resources to carry out mitigation activities on themselves and their homes and property, particularly if assistance programs are not available. These people are more likely to rent rather than own their homes, leaving them dependent on owners to mitigate their properties. Low -income individuals are also more likely to be transit - or transportation-dependent and thus less able to evacuate threatened areas without assistance. Limited financial resources can also make them more vulnerable to disruptions in the local economy from hazard events, which could cause significant financial hardship. Households that are under the poverty limit can face greater threats from hazard events.
• Senior citizens. Residents who are at least 65 years of age are more likely to have reduced mobility and physical or mental disabilities, which can decrease their ability to mitigate hazard events. Physical and mental characteristics may also make senior citizens more likely to be injured and more likely to suffer health complications from any injuries during a hazard event. Senior citizens who live alone face even higher levels of vulnerability.

Table 23 shows the metrics for Colton residents who meet at least one of the criteria for threatened or vulnerable populations. Chapter 2 provides additional demographic details for the community.

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TABLE 23. COLTON VULNERABLE POPULATION METRICS
Vulnerable Population Metri c Community-Wide Data
Population 53,399
Households 16,133
Median household income $77,087
Renter Households 49.2%
Percentage of households with at least one person living with a disability 27.6% Percentage of households living under poverty limit 15.2% Percentage of households with one or more member s aged 65+ 28.8% Percentage of people aged 5+ not fluent in English 35.6% Area affected by h azard 16.12 sq miles
Source: ESRI 2024 and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019 -23.

Note: Due to data limitations, the population data used for the threat assessment may not be consistent with the Census demographic figures given in Chapter 2. The demographic data are used in the threat assessment for comparative purposes only and is not meant to replace the more accurate demographic data in Chapter 2. The demographics shown in this table include people living in Colton’s sphere of influence.

In addition to vulnerable populations that are included in Census counts, there are other vulnerable people who cannot be as easily measured but may face just as great a risk as other socially vulnerable groups.
• People without access to lifelines (such as cars and basic telecommunication services ) can have a difficult time getting information about hazard mitigation and may not have the resources to adequately prepare for future hazard events or escape them when they come.
• T he homeless population in Colton is fairly small: an estimated 348 people in 2024, 118 of whom are sheltered and 230 people who are unsheltered. 90 Without shelter, this population is exposed to the direct effects of hazards (natural and human caused) far more than other populations . They have very few (if any) resources to help make themselves more resilient to hazard conditions; social services may be limited or nonexistent; and it can be difficult to effectively communicate information about potential hazard events to homeless people.
• Undocumented persons also face increased vulnerability from hazard events in the City. They frequently have lower income levels and may live in substandard housing, which can render their homes more susceptible to damage and make it more difficult for them to retrofit their homes to be more resilient. Distrust of government or other authority figures can mean that undocumented persons are less likely to participate in government-run hazard mitigation programs or less willing to listen to official notices about potential hazard events. Although there is no accurate count of undocumented persons in Colton, the total population in San Bernardino County is estimated at

90 San Bernardino County Homeless Count & Survey Report. (n.d.). https://www.sbcounty.gov/uploads/sbchp/SBC - 2024-Homeless-Count-Report.pdf

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127,000, 49 percent of whom have limited English proficiency and an estimated 29 percent of whom live below the poverty level. 91

DISASTER DECLARATION CONNECTIONS
FEMA has issued the following major disasters, emergency declarations, and fire management assistance grants (Table 24) in San Bernardino County . While none of these events directly affected the City or required the activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), it should be noted that City staff did participate in online meetings with the Regional EOC and regularly updated WebEOC (software platform for emergency management) with new information. Any incident type not listed in the table indicates that there were no declarations in San Bernardino County of that incident type (since 2020). Past events identified in this Plan have been identified in connection with these events in the “Past Events” sections within each Hazard Profile located in Chapter 3 of this Plan.

TABLE 24. DISASTER DECLARATION S – SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY (2018-2025) Year
Declaration
Number Declaration Title Incident Type
Affected
the City
Activated EOC
or Requested PA
2024 FM-5537-CA BRIDGE FIRE Fire No No
2024 FM-5535-CA LINE FIRE Fire No No
2024 DR-4769-CA

CALIFORNIA SEVERE

WINTER STORMS,

TORNADOES, FLOODING,

LANDSLIDES, AND

MUDSLIDES
Severe Storm No No
2023 DR-4750-CA CALIFORNIA TROPICAL
STORM HILARY Severe Storm No No
2023 DR-4699-CA

SEVERE WINTER

STORMS, STRAIGHT -LINE

WINDS, FLOODING,

LANDSLIDES, AND

MUDSLIDES
Severe Storm No No
2023 EM-3591-CA

SEVERE WINTER

STORMS, FLOODING,

AND MUDSLIDES
Flood No No
2023 EM-3592-CA

SEVERE WINTER

STORMS, FLOODING,

LANDSLIDES, AND

MUDSLIDES
Flood No No
2021 DR-4569-CA WILDFIRES Fire No No
2021 FM-5381-CA BLUE RIDGE FIRE Fire No No
2020 DR-4482-CA COVID-19 PANDEMIC Biological Yes Yes
2020 EM-3428-CA COVID-19 Biological Yes Yes
2020 FM-5350-CA EL DORADO FIRE Fire No No
2020 FM-5325-CA APPLE FIRE Fire No No
2020 FM-5301-CA HILLSIDE FIRE Fire No No
DR = Major Disaster
EM = Emergency Declaration
FM = Fire Management Assistance Grant

91 Migration Policy Institute 2024

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TABLE 24. DISASTER DECLARATION S – SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY (2018-2025) Year
Declaration
Number Declaration Title Incident Type
Affected
the City
Activated EOC
or Requested PA
In 2025, Southern California experienced catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles County (Palisades and Eaton Fires) that were identified in Disaster Declarations, however San Bernardino County was not impacted directly by these incidents.

Threat Profiles

DROUGHT
Key Facilities
The primary threat from drought events is a reduced water supply. There is not likely to be any damage to key facilities from drought events, although it is possible that any water delivery infrastructure that is not used or used less during drought conditions may fall into some degree of disrepair if regular maintenance is deferred.

Vulnerable Populations
Drought conditions are generally consistent across the community, so there is no specific hazard area to evaluate. In urbanized areas, drought conditions are highly unlikely to become severe enough that a lack of water supplies poses a health or safety ris k.

A drier climate and less watering of outside spaces often leads to increased dust and other air pollutants. This in turn aggravates allergies and respiratory diseases in people who already have them and increases their prevalence among the general populati on.

Drought can also shrink open bodies of water (such as lakes and ponds) and, by limiting replenishment and circulation, cause them to become stagnant, creating breeding areas for mosquitoes. The California Department of Public Health documented a rise in West Nile Virus cases during the 2013 -6 drought; decreased availability of open water forced birds and mosquitos into closer contact, promoting spread of the disease to humans.

The community members at greatest risk are likely to be lower -income people , as droughts often bring increased water rates and fines for excessive water use. Depending on how these rates and fines are structured, they could have a disproportionately severe impact on people with lower incomes who may not have the financial resources to afford increased water bills and fines on top of other bills. This impact can be particularly severe if information about new rates and fines, as well as information about ways to conserve water, is not effectively communicated to community members. Additionally, community members who work in businesses that suffer during drought (e.g., swimming pool services, some types of farming) or in industries that rely on large amounts of water (nurseries, car washes, restaurants , and hospitality) may also face economic hardship.

Other Community Assets
Water service could be impacted during droughts; the greater the length or severity of the drought, the more extensive the impact. It is possible that water supplies may need to be

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rationed or otherwise subjected to strict controls during worse -than-normal droughts. The resulting dry flowerbeds and dead lawns can promote the infiltration of dust and plant spores into homes and businesses, leading to chronic heat and abrasive stress on electronics, appliances, and machinery, as well as increases in disease (as discussed above). Dead or non- existent landscaping can have a serious effect on the market value of both residential and commercial property, eventually leading to decreasing property -tax assessments and receipts.

Cutting back on normal watering may also damage the urban forest, increasing the number of trees the City has to replace each year.

Acre for acre, golf courses are among the most water -intensive real estate in California. The average 18- hole golf course consumes up to 130,000 gallons of water each day. Colton has one golf course—Colton Golf Course—and it’s unlikely to be able to bear the cost of that much water use during a severe shortage. Shutting down the course or letting it go brown will damage its usefulness for recreation and greatly diminish its revenue.

Changes in Population and Land Use Development
Droughts occur periodically (primarily during the summer/fall months) and generally do not affect populations to the degree that they would need to migrate in and out of the City. Drought’s main effects are the slow degradation of the quality of life, a slowdown or end to development, and a loss of water -intensive industries. Water shortages or expensive water coupled with an increase in high-heat days may cause current residents to move to less rigorous conditions and may cause potential residents to look elsewhere.

It is unlikely that a “normal” drought —that is, the kind that has become semi -permanent in Southern California —will affect land use and development because the development review process will take steps to mitigate or minimize the impacts and vulnerability of drought in Colton.

However, a lengthy, severe drought or a long- term reduction of the C ity’s water supply may force drastic changes. Faced with a water shortage that has no foreseeable end, the City may have to enact a moratorium on new water hookups or on new development in general. This may kill housing or commercial projects that were years in the making, subject the City to legal action, and deprive the City of future economic benefits from the foregone development.

FLOODING
Key Facilities
Flood
There are 23 key facilities within the 100- or 500 -year floodplain. This includes a number of bridges that may be damaged during a flood event, disrupting traffic flow and freight transport.

Colton’s Fire Station #3, which houses the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), is in the 100- year floodplain, and the City’s Water Reclamation Facility is located partially in the 100 -year floodplain and partially in the 500- year. There are also multiple electrical facilities in the 100 - year floodplain, although a storm severe enough to qualify as a 500 -year flood would likely disrupt electrical service regardless of where such facilities are located. F acilities outside of the 500-year floodplain may be impacted in particularly extreme examples . It is also possible that facilities outside of the 500- year floodplain could be damaged by ponding or other localized flooding. Table 25 shows the types of key facilities in the flood hazard zones.

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Thirteen key facilities with known replacement values are in the flood hazard zone, located in both in the 100 -year and 500 -year floodplains. The total cost to replace these facilities is estimated at $158,089,722. Figure 16 displays the critical facilities located within the 100- year and 500-year flood zones.

TABLE 25. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED IN FEMA FLOOD ZONES
Facility Type
In Hazard Zone
Not In Hazard Zone 100-Year Floodplain 500-Year Floodplain City facility 0 0 2
Community center 0 1 3
Electric power facility 4 0 4
Fire station 1 0 3
Solar facility 0 0 3
Water treatment facility 0 1 0
Water infrastructure 1 5 19
Hospital 0 0 1
School 0 1 14
Adult residential care 1 2 7
Childcare center 0 1 6
Elder residential care 0 1 4
Foster family agency 1 0 1
Home care
organization
1 0 0
Communication facility 0 2 14
Highway bridge 0 0 14
Rail bridge 0 0 7
Road bridge 0 0 13
Total 9 14 115

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FIGURE 16. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED IN THE 100 -YEAR AND 500- YEAR FLOOD ZONES

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Dam Failure
There are 82 key facilities in the Seven Oaks Dam failure inundation zone. A majority of Colton’s electrical power facilities, the water treatment facility, and a large amount of water infrastructure are in the dam inundation zone, along with several health and childcare facilities and two schools. Two of the City fire stations are in the dam inundation zone, including Fire Station 3 and the EOC. Of particular concern is that all highway, rail, and road bridges are in the inundation zone and face a high ris k of being damaged if the Seven Oaks Dam fails. This could be particularly hazardous should evacuation or emergency response be required in these areas of the C ity transportation network connected by bridges. Table 26 shows the types of key facilities in the dam failure hazard zone.

There are 26 key facilities with known replacement values located in the Seven Oaks Dam inundation zone. The total cost to replace these seven facilities is estimated at $254,390,592.

Figure 17 displays the key facilities located within dam inundation zones .

TABLE 26. KEY FACILITIES IN DAM FAILURE HAZARD ZONE
Facility Type
Seven Oaks Dam
Inundation Zone
Cactus Basin #3
Inundation Zone
Not In Hazard
Zone
City facility 1 0 1
Community center 4 0 0
Electric power facility 8 0 0
Fire station 2 0 2
Solar facility 3 0 0
Water Treatment Facility 1 0 0
Water Infrastructure 10 0 15
Hospital 0 0 1
School 2 0 13
Adult residential care 3 0 7
Child care center 4 0 3
Elder residential care 1 0 4
Foster family agency 1 0 1
Home care organization 1 0 0
Communication facility 9 0 7
Highway bridge 10 0 4
Rail bridge 4 0 3
Road bridge 8 0 5
Total 72 0 66

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FIGURE 17. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED IN DAM INUNDATION ZONES

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Vulnerable Populations
Flood
The 100-year floodplain is relatively limited and is home to a fairly small population. By contrast, the 500-year floodplain and the dam failure hazard zone are home to thousands of people who could be harmed by such an event. People in the 500-year floodplain and the dam failure hazard zone have a lower median income than the rest of the community, and so they may be less able to afford flood insurance premiums or make flood -proofing retrofits. Therefore, these people could face disproportionate harm from flood events. There is also an above- average number of senior citizens in the 100-year floodplain who are more likely to need assistance preparing their homes for floods or evacuating. Table 27 shows the social vulnerability of residents in the flood hazard zones.

Floods, particularly flash floods, can also be dangerous for other groups of socially vulnerable people. Residents without access to lifelines can be unaware of impending flash floods and may not have the means to evacuate on their own. Unhoused people are more likely to suffer injuries during a flood event due to their greater exposure. Additionally, a lack of flood insurance for some people in the floodplains, especially among renters, can render them highly vulnerable to suffering economic harm if a floo d event does occur.

Dam Failure
There are an estimated 16,278 residents located within the Seven Oaks Dam and Cactus Basin #3 inundation zones (approximately 7.38 sq miles or 46 percent of the City). These residents account for approximately 30 percent of the population. Table 27 shows the social vulnerability of residents in the dam inundation zones.

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TABLE 27. FLOOD HAZARD ZONE VULNERABLE POPULATION METRICS Vulnerable Population
Metric
100-Year
Floodplain
500-Year
Floodplain
Seven Oaks
Dam
Inundation
Zone
Cactus
Basin #3
Inundation
Zone
City of
Colton
Population 359 7,211 15,964 314 53,399
Households 95 2,375 5,161 71 16,133
Median household
income $64,258 $73,857 $69,411 $75,000 $77,087
Renter occupied
households 50.5% 55.4% 61.7% 25.4% 49.2%
Percentage of
households with at least
one person living with a
disability

34.0% 28.7% 28.4% *N/A 27.6%
Percentage of
households living under
poverty limit

22.6% 14.5% 16.6% *N/A 15.2%
Percentage of
households with one-
member aged 65+

35.8% 26.2% 23.5% *N/A 28.8%
Area affected by h azard 1.04 sq miles 1.99 sq miles 7.03 sq miles

0.35 sq
miles

16.12 sq
miles
Source: ESRI 2024.

Note: Due to data limitations, the population data used for the threat assessment may not be consistent with the Census demographic figures given in Chapter 2. The demographic data are used in the threat assessment for comparative purposes only, and are not meant to replace the more accurate demographic data in Chapter 2. The demographics shown in this table include people living in Colton’s sphere of influence. *N/A - Dam failure area too small of population to measure statistically

Other Community Assets
Floods can cause extensive damage to homes, businesses, and other buildings in Colton that could cause significant hardship to the community and affect Colton’s economic growth. Several major commercial districts, including areas in and around the Cooley Ranch neighborhood, are in flood-prone areas. Floodwater or debris deposited by floods may block or damage road and rail networks, impeding transportation and harming the assets that depend on transportation systems, such as public transit and emergency res ponse services. Electrical and communication systems could be damaged by floods, interrupting these services. Serious floods could potentially cause breaks in pipelines such as water and natural gas pipes, leading to further service interruptions, although such events are rare. Flood water tends to spread toxic chemicals and other hazardous wastes throughout the inundation area, often contaminating the potable water distribution system.

Changes in Population and Land Use Development
Given the current percentage of residents in FEMA flood zones, it is possible that flooding will affect the City’s population patterns and growth. Based on the current Housing Element data, the City's anticipated residential/population growth over the next five years is also anticipated to increase Colton’s potential vulnerability to flood- related hazards (including dam failure).

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The City should review its zoning and development plans to determine whether inordinate future development is projected for the City’s 100 -year floodplains and dam inundation zones. The City may choose to zone for denser development in less -threatened areas, or to proactively adopt flood- hardening code requirements to minimize or otherwise mitigate flood- related impacts on new and substantially renovated construction in the highest -threat areas.

GEOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Key Facilities
Landslide
There are 11 key facilities in the high landslide hazard zones. The majority of these are water infrastructure and bridges along the Interstate 10 corridor and near the Interstate 10/215 interchange. Other vulnerable facilities include two schools and an elder/senior residential care center. Table 28 shows the types of key facilities in the landslide hazard zone. Of the listed key facilities in the landslide hazard zone, 8 have known replacement values, which are estimated at $17,278.441. Figure 18 displays the key facilities located within the deep- seated landslide high susceptibility zones in the City.

TABLE 28. KEY FACILITIES IN LANDSLIDE HAZARD ZONES
Facility Type
In High Landslide Hazard
Zone Not In Hazard Zone
City facility 0 2
Community center 0 4
Electric power facility 0 8
Fire station 0 4
Solar facility 0 3
Water Treatment Facility 0 1
Water Infrastructure 8 17
Hospital 0 1
School 2 13
Adult residential care 0 10
Childcare center 0 7
Elder residential care 1 4
Foster family agency 0 2
Home care organization 0 1
Communication facility 0 16
Highway bridge 7 7
Rail bridge 0 7
Road bridge 0 13
Total 18 127

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FIGURE 18. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED IN DEEP -SEATED LANDSLIDE ZONES

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Subsidence
Subsidence is not ongoing in Colton, but there is some potential for it to resume if groundwater levels are not effectively managed. If such an event happens, it could pose a threat to all key facilities in the community, although the greatest threat would presumably be in areas with the fastest rate of subsidence. Since there has been no subsidence measured in Colton for several decades, it is not possible to say which parts of the C ity could face the greatest threat if this hazard were to resume.

Vulnerable Populations
Landslide
The area of high landslide risk covers approximately 3.66 square miles and is home to an estimated 6,448 people. By most metrics, the residents of this area are not substantially more socially vulnerable than the average Colton resident. However, there is a somewhat higher proportion of senior citizens in the high landslide risk zone than there is in all of Colton. Senior citizens can have challenges evacuating an area, particularly given short notice, which is of particular concern for fast -moving landslide events. Similar challenges can affect people who lack access to vehicles. Table 29 shows the social vulnerability of residents in the high landslide risk zone.

TABLE 29. LANDSLIDE HAZARD ZONE VULNERABLE POPULATION METRICS Vulnerable Population Metric
High Landslide
Risk Zone City of Colton
Population 6,448 53,399
Households 4,966 16,133
Median household income $93,907 $77,087
Renter occupied households 39.6% 49.2%
Percentage of households with at least one person living with a disability 26.1% 27.6%
Percentage of households living under the poverty limit 13.1% 15.2% Percentage of households with one -member aged 65+ 33.6% 28.8% Area affected by hazard (square miles) 3.66 sq miles 16.12 sq miles

Subsidence
Subsidence is a potential hazard throughout all of Colton. Although subsidence activity in Colton has effectively ceased in recent decades, there is some possibility that it could return. If subsidence activity did resume at a significant level, it would likely have an impact on lower - income residents, who are more likely to live in houses that are less well built and may lack the financial resources to prepare their homes for such impacts.

Other Community Assets
Landslide
Homes and businesses are typically damaged or destroyed by landslides. In addition to potentially causing significant injuries or fatalities, this can cause economic harm and create a

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need for long- term emergency sheltering and temporary housing until these buildings can be reconstructed. Landslides often block roadways or railways and may do so for weeks or even months after the event takes place. Long -term disruption to Colton’s trans portation networks can increase roadway congestion, harm public transit, delay response time for emergency services, and harm the local economy. Utility lines, such as power lines or water pipes, may be broken by a landslide, interrupting important services.

Subsidence
If subsidence did resume in Colton, the impact could be widespread. In addition to potentially damaging buildings throughout the community, subsidence could damage roads and rail lines as well as underground pipes such as water, wastewater, and natural gas . This could create more congestion on Colton’s transportation networks and interrupt key utility services.

Changes in Population and Land Use Development
Land sliding is being monitored throughout the hazard prone areas in the City, the impacts can cause damage to structures located within these zones. However, these zones are generally located in certain areas of the City, meaning that the damage potential is limited to these areas.

Despite this potential, landslides are unlikely to cause changes in population patterns. However, land use designations and new development may be limited in these areas out of precaution, or subject to any policies developed in City documents such as the LHMP or the General Plan’s Land Use, Housing, and Safety Elements. The City’s development review process will identify steps to mitigate or prevent future landslide events. Based on the current Housing Element data, the C ity's anticipated residential/population growth over the next five years is also anticipated to increase Colton’s potential vulnerability to landslides should development occur in these areas.

HUMAN-CAUSED HAZARDS
Key Facilities
Infrastructure failure may occur anywhere in Colton, and therefore any key facility may be affected. Some key facilities, such as bridges, are themselves pieces of infrastructure that could experience failure.

Due to the nature of hazardous material releases, the material and its effects may be confined to the area immediately around the release site, or it could spread over a wide distance. For the purposes of this Plan, the areas vulnerable to hazardous materi al releases are those within a quarter-mile radius of hazardous material facilities, a distance commonly used for environmental analysis of hazardous materials. This does not include the possibility of a hazardous material spill from a road or railway vehi cle.

There are currently 60 key facilities in Colton that are partially or entirely within a 500-foot buffer of a hazardous material site. Vulnerable facilities include most of Colton’s electrical infrastructure, one of the four fire stations, many schools and care facilities, and the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Hazardous material releases can pose a safety threat to people at key facilities and may require them to be shut down until cleanup activities are completed. Most hazardous materials are not dangerous to the structures themselves, although some highly corrosive or reactive materials could be. Hazardous material releases may also spark fires that

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pose a greater threat to the structures of key facilities. Table 30 shows the types of key facilities partially or entirely within the 500 -foot buffer zone radius of hazardous material sites TABLE 30. KEY FACILITIES IN HAZARDOUS MATERIAL HAZARD ZONES (500 FT) Facility Type
Within 500-ft Buffer of
Hazardous
Material Sites Not in Hazard Zone
City facility 1 1
Community center 1 3
Electric power facility 1 7
Fire station 1 3
Solar facility 1 2
Water treatment facility 0 1
Water infrastructure 5 20
Hospital 0 1
School 6 9
Adult residential care 8 2
Childcare center 1 6
Elder residential care 3 2
Foster family agency 1 1
Home care organization 1 0
Communication facility 6 10
Highway bridge 13 1
Rail bridge 4 3
Road bridge 7 6
Total 60 138

There are 9 key facilities that have known replacement values within a 500 -foot buffer of hazardous material sites. The total cost to replace these facilities is estimated at $54,360,467.

Terrorism may occur anywhere, at any time. While most recorded terrorist attacks involve soft targets, some domestic terrorists have attacked civic buildings or infrastructure. Any key facility in Colton could become a target of an act of terror. Such an act may directly seek to damage or destroy the key facility, or the structure may be damaged as a side effect of an act of terror that targets the people in the facility. Infrast ructure and power failure are also potential effects of hazardous materials rel ease. Figure 19 displays the location of key critical facilities and their location within the 500-f oot buffer zone of hazardous material sites.

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FIGURE 19. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED WITHIN 500- FT BUFFER ZONE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SITES

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Vulnerable Populations
All residents and visitors are vulnerable to infrastructure failure. As with many other types of hazards, people with lower income levels are more likely to live in housing that has been poorly built or poorly maintained (particularly if these people rent their homes) . Such structures are more likely to be damaged during an infrastructure failure event. Residents with mobility challenges are more likely to have difficulty evacuating if an infrastructure failure event requires it.

An estimated 22,436 people or more live within a 500 -foot buffer zone of hazardous material sites, approximately 42 percent of Colton’s population. The level of social vulnerability for people within this buffer zone compared to the City at large is similar, although people in the hazard zone have a household income level that is approximately 4 percent higher than the average income for all Colton households. Additionally, a similar proportion of senior citizens in the hazard zone liv e alone and could require additional assistance if evacuati on or sheltering in place is necessary. Depending on the nature of the hazardous material, young children or people with existing health problems may have a greater risk of being harmed by the material.

People who face greater exposure, such as unhoused people or people who work outside, are also more likely to be harmed by such an event if they are unable to seek shelter in time. Table 31 shows the social vulnerability of residents within a 500-foot buffer zone of hazardous material facilities.

TABLE 31. HAZARDOUS MATERIAL HAZARD ZONE SOCIAL VULNERABILITY METRICS Vulnerable Population Metric
Within 500-ft Buffer of
Hazardous Material Sites City of Colton
Population 22,436 53,399
Households 6,957 16,133
Median household income $80,533 $77,087
Renter-occupied households 49.9% 49.2%
Percentage of households with at least one
person living with a disability 23.7% 27.6%
Percentage of households living under
poverty limit 14.3% 15.2%
Percentage of households with one -member
aged 65+ 28.1% 28.8%
Area affected by hazard 5.33 sq miles 16.12 sq miles
Source: ESRI 2024.

Note: Due to data limitations, the population data used for the threat assessment may not be consistent with the Census demographic figures given in Chapter 2. The demographic data are used in the threat assessment for comparative purposes only, and are not meant to replace the more accurate demographic data in Chapter 2. The demographics shown in this table include people living in Colton’s sphere of influence.

Most Colton residents generally face a similar threat level from terroris t activities. Individuals who work in high- profile positions or at sites that are more likely to be targeted could face a somewhat greater threat, although it is unclear if such an increase in threat levels would be appreciably higher. No population group faces a greater threat from terrorism than others.

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Other Community Assets
A substantial infrastructure failure event would likely disrupt a number of services in Colton depending on the nature of the event, potentially including electricity and natural gas delivery, telecommunications, and water and wastewater. A citywide or even regionwide power failure could also occur, potentially leaving thousands without power, until service could be restored.

Damage to roads or railways could affect transportation and freight -shipping activities. Any number of non-key facilities, such as ho mes or businesses, could be damaged or destroyed by an infrastructure failure that creates a flood, explosion, or fire.

The primary threat to other community assets from hazardous material releases is the disruption of transportation networks. Depending on the size, location, and nature of the release, large areas of the local road or rail system may be closed to keep peopl e away from hazardous conditions and to allow for cleanup activities. The release of highly corrosive hazardous material could cause direct damage to physical assets such as homes and businesses. Hazardous material releases could also be highly dangerous t o local ecosystems and may cause harm to plants and animals in wildland areas.

Terrorism may threaten any number of community assets. Depending on the nature of the terrorism act, community assets such as energy or transportation infrastructure may be directly targeted, causing service outages in part or all of Colton. Service disruptions or damage to other community assets could also occur as an incidental consequence of an act of terror.

Changes in Population and Land Use Development
A change in population pattern would only occur if a hazardous materials release was severe enough to require people to move. It is unlikely that hazardous materials release will affect land use and development because the development review process will t ake steps to mitigate or minimize impacts from a hazardous materials release event. Locations that store, produce, and dispose of hazardous materials are highly regulated within the City and monitored regularly.

Through this process, as well as the development review process, it is not anticipated that land use and development patterns will change. Based on the current Housing Element data, the City's anticipated residential/population growth over the next five years is also anticipated to increase Colton’s potential vulnerability to hazardous materials release as development increases.

SEISMIC HAZARDS
Key Facilities
Fault Rupture
There are two identified key facilities in the Alquist -Priolo fault zone. Most of these facilities are highway bridges along Interstate 215, near the Santa Ana River and the interchange with Interstate 10. One elder-care facility is also situated in this hazard zone. Table 32 lists the types of key facilities in the Alquist -Priolo zone. Figure 20 displays the key facilities near AP zones and at risk from fault rupture damage. None of the key facilities in the Alquist -Priolo fault zones have known replacement values.

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FIGURE 20. KEY FACILITIES NEAR FAULT LINES AND ALQUIST -PRIOLO FAULT ZONES

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TABLE 32. KEY FACILITIES IN ALQUIST -PRIOLO FAULT ZONE
Facility Type In Alquist-Priolo Zone Not In Hazard Zone City facility 0 2
Community center 0 4
Electric power facility 0 8
Fire station 0 4
Solar facility 0 3
Water Treatment Facility 0 1
Water Infrastructure 0 25
Hospital 0 1
School 0 15
Adult residential care 0 10
Childcare center 0 7
Elder residential care 1 4
Foster family agency 0 2
Home care organization 0 1
Communication facility 1 15
Highway bridge 6 8
Rail bridge 1 6
Road bridge 0 13
Total 9 129

Liquefaction
Three key facilities are currently located in the high -susceptibility liquefaction hazard zone.

These include two highway bridges and a communication facility. Table 33 shows the types of key facilities located in the high susceptibility liquefaction hazard zone.

None of the key facilities located in this high-susceptibility liquefaction hazard zone have known replacement values. Figure 21 shows the key facilities that are located in this high-susceptibility liquefaction hazard zone.

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FIGURE 21. KEY FACILITIES IN LIQUEFACTION HAZARD ZONES

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TABLE 33. KEY FACILITIES IN LIQUEFACTION HAZARD ZONES
Facility Type
High Susceptibility
Liquefaction Zone Not In Hazard Zone
City facility 0 2
Community center 0 4
Electric power facility 0 8
Fire station 0 4
Solar facility 0 3
Water Treatment Facility 0 1
Water Infrastructure 0 25
Hospital 0 1
School 0 15
Adult residential care 0 10
Childcare center 0 7
Elder residential care 0 5
Foster family agency 0 2
Home care organization 0 1
Communication facility 1 15
Highway bridge 2 12
Rail bridge 0 7
Road bridge 0 13
Total 3 135

Seismic Shaking
Seismic shaking poses a threat to all key facilities. Any of them may face damage or destruction in a sufficiently strong earthquake. In general, facilities that are older and have not been well maintained, or facilities that were poorly constructed to begin with, face the greatest threat.

Without a more detailed seismic evaluation of key facilities, it cannot be said which structures are more likely to be damaged or destroyed. Figure 22 displays the seismic shaking that can potentially affect the City and its key facilities.

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FIGURE 22. KEY FACILITIES AND SEISMIC SHAKING POTENTIAL

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California law requires that hospitals undergo seismic retrofits or be built to seismically resilient standards so that, after a significant earthquake, both the structural and nonstructural elements of the hospital can operate and provide medical care. The Arrowhead Regional Medical Center reports that most of the facility’s buildings, including all that provide medical care, are rated as “reasonably capable” of providing medical care after a strong earthquake. The one exception is the facility’s loading dock, which is rated as being vulnerable to a level of structural damage that “does not significantly jeopardize life,” but may render it inoperable after a strong earthquake.

All facilities at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, including the loading dock, are rated at the highest level of nonstructural performance, meaning that the hospital has onsite water supplies, energy supplies, and wastewater holding tanks sufficient to allow 72 hours of emergency operations without access to utility service. 92 Vulnerable Populations
Fault Rupture
Residents in Colton’s Alquist-Priolo zone who face the risk of surface fault rupture from the San Jacinto Fault do not have higher levels of social vulnerability than the average Colton resident.

By some metrics—such as household income and poverty, residents of the Alquist -Priolo zone are less socially vulnerable than the average Colton resident. This does not mean that residents of the Alquist -Priolo zone are not socially vulnerable ; in particular, the percentage of senior citizens living alone and people with limited English proficiency may create challenges for mitigation activities.

Liquefaction
Although in effect no one lives in the zone of high liquefaction risk, an estimated 14,000- plus residents live in other areas with an elevated liquefaction risk. Residents in the medium -high liquefaction risk have a substantially lower level of household income (approximately 26 percent below Colton’s average), decreasing their ability to harden their homes against liquefaction and making them more susceptible to economic damage from seismic activity. Additionally, both the medium and medium -high liquefacti on risk zones have higher proportions of senior citizens living alone. Seniors living alone may have a harder time hardening their homes against liquefaction or receiving information about risk levels, particularly if they lack regular assistance from formal or informal support networks. Table 34 shows the social vulnerability of residents in the seismic hazard zones.

Seismic Shaking
In addition to the defined zones for surface fault rupture and liquefaction, all residents of Colton are at risk of seismic shaking. Persons with limited English proficiency may have a difficult time receiving information about being prepared for earthquak e events if it is not made available in their language. Senior citizens (especially those living alone) and persons with disabilities could have a harder time strengthening their homes against seismic activity, and lower -income households and persons in poverty may not have the financial resources to do so. People with fewer financial resources are also more likely to be affected by the decrease in economic activity that would likely accompany a significant earthquake.

92 OSHPD (California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development). “California Hospitals Data:

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.” https://hcai.ca.gov .

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TABLE 34. SEISMIC HAZARD ZONES SOCIAL VULNERABILITY METRICS Threatened Population Metric
Alquist-Priolo
Zone
High
Liquefaction City of Colton
Population 3,295 8 53,399
Households 902 N/A 16,133
Median household income $86,492 N/A $77,087
Renter-occupied households 25.8% N/A 49.2%
Percentage of households with at least
one person living with a disability 28.3% N/A 27.6%
Percentage of households living under
the poverty limit 17.8% N/A 15.2%
Percentage of households with one-
member aged 65+ 33.0% N/A 28.8%
Area affected by hazard 0.9 sq miles 0.21 sq miles 16.12 sq miles

Other Community Assets
Fault Rupture
Surface fault rupture could damage any building or infrastructure within the rupture zone. This could include Interstates 10 and 215, as well as the Union Pacific railroad; the BNSF railroad also crosses the San Jacinto Fault’s rupture zone immediately north of Colton. Surface roads could also be damaged, along with any utility lines or pipes that cross the fault line. This could create traffic congestion and block routes to the north and east of Colton, as well as causing widespread utility outages.

Liquefaction
Liquefaction could also damage Interstates 10 and 215, the Union Pacific railroad line, and any utility lines that run through the liquefaction hazard zone. In addition to creating service outages, impacts to these pieces of infrastructure can cause regional traffic congestion. The Cooley Ranch neighborhood between the Santa Ana River and Interstate 215 is designated a medium - high liquefaction hazard zone, and in addition to damage to homes, liquefaction could harm the large number of retail stores in the neighborhood, affecting the local economy.

Seismic Shaking
Seismic shaking may affect other community assets throughout Colton. Older buildings of all types that have not been seismically retrofitted may be harmed. As mentioned in Chapter 3 , an earthquake on the San Jacinto Fault could cause shaking that would rank as IX (Ruinous) on the MMI scale, the same level of intensity as the 1994 Northridge earthquake at the areas of strongest shaking. Such shaking could damage or destroy roads or rail lines, bridges, and utility lines, creating transportation congestion and utility outages. There is also the possibility that a strong earthquake could rupture hazardous material storage containers, causing potentially several hazardous material releases.

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Changes in Population and Land Use Development
Fault Rupture
Based on the current Housing Element, it is anticipated that population patterns will increase approximately 3% by 2030. This could indicate that land use and development policies would remain consistent with the most current regulations. Given the presenc e of multiple faults within the City, an increase in population and an increase in residential development will most likely increase the potential impacts from fault rupture in the City and to its residents, especially in the areas located near the Alquist -Priolo Special Study zones. New development and land use designations may be limited in these areas out of precaution, or subject to policies developed in City documents such as the LHMP and the General Plan’s Land Use, Housing, and Safety Elements.

Liquefaction
Liquefaction is being monitored throughout hazard -prone areas in the City. However, these zones are generally located in certain areas of the C ity, meaning that the damage potential is limited to these areas. Despite this potential, liquefaction is unlikely to cause changes in population patterns. However, land use designations and new development may be limited in these areas out of precaution, or subject to policies developed in City documents such as the LHMP and the General Plan’s Land Use, Housing, and Safety Elements. The City’s development review process will identify steps to mitigate or prevent future liquefaction exposure.

Seismic Shaking
Based on the current Housing Element data, the City's anticipated residential/population growth over the next five years is also anticipated to increase Colton’s potential vulnerability to seismic hazards as development increases. While this may also be true concerning land use and development, if a strong earthquake impacts the City, there is the potential that older structures of the City may be damaged more severely than newer structures and developments in the City.

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SEVERE WEATHER
Key Facilities
Most key facilities are unlikely to be harmed by extreme heat. However, cellular telephone sites and electrical facilities such as substations and power plants could be affected by very high temperatures, as such conditions place increased stress on electronic components and the electrical grid. If demand is not properly managed, it is possible that electrical facilities may be damaged during extreme heat events. Severe wind and severe winter weather could cause damage to key facilities, particularly if they have not been well built or have been poorly maintained. This could range from relatively minor damage, such as some lost roofing material, to more significant structural damage or even some degree of destruction in extreme cases.

Vulnerable Populations
Extreme Heat
All types of severe weather events may occur anywhere in Colton, so there are no specific risk zones to analyze for social vulnerability. Extreme heat likely has the greatest potential to cause disproportionate harm to Colton’s residents because extreme heat is very dangerous to young children, senior citizens, and people who live or work outside. This can create significant health risk, particularly for seniors who do not live near a cooling center (or have no way of reaching one), seniors who rely on help from another person to fulfill their basic needs, and residents who do not live in a home with air conditioning. Other exposed people, such as outdoor workers (such as gardeners and construction workers) and individuals experiencing homeless, also face an elevated risk from extreme heat events.

Severe Wind
Severe wind may be harmful to people who live in housing that has not been well constructed or well maintained, or to people who live in mobile homes. Such housing is more likely to be damaged by strong winds. Residents of these homes who have limited financial resources may face further hardships if their homes are damaged, as reconstruction may be a significant economic burden.

Severe Winter Weather
Severe winter weather can also harm people in poorly built or maintained houses, as such buildings may be similarly vulnerable to damage from an intense storm system. It also poses a threat to people working outside and people experiencing homelessness. If these weather systems create a need to evacuate, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people without access to a vehicle may have difficulty doing so and could require assistance from formal or informal support groups.

Other Community Assets
Severe wind and severe winter weather can topple aboveground phone lines, street signs, trees (including parts of the City’s urban forest), street furniture (bus shelters, trash cans, wayfinding signage), decorative banners, awnings, and sun shades, and road barricades, sometimes creating missile hazards . Flying debris can damage buildings and injure people caught outside in the storm. Throughout Colton, there is a risk of severe wind damaging buildings, particularly

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those that are poorly built or have been poorly maintained. Even if such buildings are not considered key facilities, damage to these structures may pose a safety hazard and could affect the local economy.

Changes in Population and Land Use Development
Extreme Heat
There could be minor changes in population patterns due to extreme heat if people cannot continue to live in older structures with limited insulation and older cooling units. The anticipated population growth in Colton is not expected to significantly impact the City’s vulnerability to extreme heat. However, if extreme heat becomes more common, both current and prospective residents may move to places that do not experience triple -digit temperatures, leading to lower population and economic growth.

The City’s development review process will attempt to take steps to mitigate or minimize the impact of extreme heat on land use and development. However, these mitigation steps (in addition to those for flood and seismic safety, energy and water efficiency , and so on) will add costs to the resulting buildings that may eventually render them uneconomical. Zoning and development plans may need to change the type and location of new building to accommodate these new realities. In the meantime, additional inves tment may become necessary in older parts of the City to modify structures to handle extreme heat conditions. Without these expenditures, a growing portion of the existing residential and commercial building stock may become uninhabitable.

Severe Wind
Severe windstorms occur periodically (primarily during the fall months) and generally do not affect populations to the degree that they would need to migrate in and out of the C ity. The anticipated population growth in Colton is not expected to have a significant impact on the City’s vulnerability to severe windstorms. It is unlikely that severe wind will affect land use and development because the development review process will take steps to mitigate or minimize the impacts of severe wind. There is the po tential that older structures in the C ity may be impacted more severely than newer structures. Potential damage to overhead powerlines and mature trees may be difficult to mitigate. Older structures may not comply with current building codes, far less more stringent ones, and may be difficult to retrofit without sacrificing design details that make them distinctive and more valuable.

Severe Winter Weather
Based on the current Housing Element data, the anticipated residential growth in the City over the next five years could potentially increase Colton’s vulnerability to severe winter weather.

ARs and ENSO precipitation variations are likely to add increasing rain to severe winter storms.

Mitigating the effects of torrential downpours will resemble the efforts the City makes to control its flood risk (see “ Flooding” section, above). Zoning, planning, and the development review process will need to coordinate to mitigate or minimize impacts from severe storms.

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WILDFIRES
Key Facilities
Although the wildfire hazard zone covers a sizeable part of Colton, most key facilities are in urbanized or other non -wildland areas. As a result, only 11 key facilities are in Very High FHSZ areas. The Very High FHSZs include a communication facility, a childcare center, Colton’s Water Reclamation Facility , several other pieces of water infrastructure, Reche Canyon Elementary School, and multiple private care centers. There are also multiple key facilities located within the wildland -urban interface zone (WUI); this is a concern as these areas are also highly susceptible to wildfires, as this is the area between the City - and state -owned undeveloped lands. Within the WUI t here are 17 key facilities, including water infrastructure, a fire station, a school, multiple care facilities for adults and children, and multiple communication facilities.

Table 35 lists the types of key facilities in the Very High FHSZs and the WUI.

There are five key facilities with known replacement values in the very high fire hazard severity zones—all water infrastructure—totaling approximately $13,163,981. Six key facilities with known replacement values that total approximately $12,521,620 are also located within the WUI, including a fire station and water infrastructure. Figure 23 displays the key facilities that are located within the Very High FHSZs and the WUI, and Figure 24 displays the key facilities located with the historic wildfire perimeters of Colton.

TABLE 35. KEY FACILITIES IN WILDFIRE HAZARD ZONES
Facility Type
Located within the
Very High FHSZ
Located within the
WUI Not In Hazard Zone
City facility 0 0 2
Community center 0 0 4
Electric power facility 0 0 8
Fire station 0 1 3
Solar facility 0 0 3
Water Treatment
Facility 0 0 1
Water Infrastructure 5 5 15
Hospital 0 0 1
School 1 1 13
Adult residential care 0 1 9
Childcare center 1 2 4
Elder residential care 2 5 0
Foster family agency 0 0 2
Home care
organization 0 0 1
Communication facility 1 2 13
Highway bridge 0 0 14

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TABLE 35. KEY FACILITIES IN WILDFIRE HAZARD ZONES
Facility Type
Located within the
Very High FHSZ
Located within the
WUI Not In Hazard Zone
Rail bridge 0 0 7
Road bridge 1 1 11
Total 11 18 109

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FIGURE 23. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED WITHIN THE VERY HIGH FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES

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FIGURE 24. KEY FACILITIES LOCATED NEAR HISTORIC WILDFIRE PERIMETERS

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Vulnerable Populations
Colton’s Very High FHSZs include approximately 7,122 residents, while the WUI has approximately 14,109 residents. There are higher rates of senior citizens in both the Very High FHSZs and the WUI. As senior citizens are more likely to have disabilities and reduced mobility, areas with higher percentages of senior citizens can have more challenges with evacuation and preparatory activities. Households in the Very High FHSZs and the WUI have income levels higher than the rest of Colton. Such households may have an easier time preparing their homes and properties to be more resilient to wildfire. Table 36 shows the social vulnerability of residents in the Very High FHSZs and WUI zones.

TABLE 36. WILDFIRE HAZARD ZONE SOCIAL VULNERABILITY METRICS Threatened Population Metric Very High FHSZ WUI City of Colton Population 7,122 14,109 53,399
Households 2,165 4,796 16,133
Median household income $103,412 $85,065 $77,087
Renter-occupied households 43.6% 50.9% 49.2%
Percentage of households with at
least one person living with a
disability

24.7% 26.6% 27.6%
Percentage of households living
under the poverty limit 10.2% 11.7% 15.2%
Percentage of households with
one-member aged 65+ 31.4% 31.7% 28.8%
Area affected by hazard 3.97 sq miles 5.04 sq miles 16.12 sq miles

In addition to the impacts to residents of the FHSZs, wildfires can have more widespread impacts on socially vulnerable persons. Children, senior citizens, and people with respiratory conditions can be disproportionately affected by ash and smoke inhalation, creating or exacerbating health impacts throughout Colton and in the broader region.

Other Community Assets
The FHSZs in Colton include many residential and commercial areas. Buildings of all types in wildfire-prone areas are at risk of significant damage or destruction from any blazes, requiring temporary housing and lengthy reconstruction activities. Wildfire events can interrupt transportation networks by burning too close to road or railways, requiring them to be closed for public safety and to provide easy access for emergency responders. Interstate 215 runs through the Very High FHSZ and other areas of elevated risk for wildfires and so could be vulnerable to closure during a wildfire event. In addition to creating significant congestion, such a move could hamper evacuation efforts. Wildfire often damage or destroy power lines and may also interrupt natural gas pipelines or cause them to be shut down for safety reasons, creating energy service outages.

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Changes in Population and Land Use Development
If a large wildfire or urban fire were to occur, it is feasible that changes to population patterns could fluctuate. Future land use designations, redevelopment, or new development in these areas could be restricted or even prohibited, especially in the WUI and the VHFHSZs. The anticipated population growth in the City is not expected to significantly impact Colton’s vulnerability to wildfire, assuming residential development is limited in fire prone areas.

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CHAPTER 5 –

HAZARD MITIGATION STRATEGY
Strategy Development Process
Colton’s hazard mitigation strategy is a comprehensive set of actions intended to reduce the impact of hazard events. These hazard mitigation actions will help protect the safety and well - being of residents, visitors, CFs and FOCs, other buildings and structures, key services, the local economy, and other important community assets. Some actions will also help with emergency preparedness, allowing for a more effective community response to hazard events.

Preparedness actions are not required for an LHMP , bu t they support and complement mitigation activities. The HMPT chose to include them as part of the overall hazard mitigation strategy.

USE OF HAZARD AND THREAT ASSESSMENT
The HMPT relied partly on the hazard profiles and threat assessments in this Plan to develop the mitigation strategy's actions. A comprehensive set of mitigation actions was prepared to respond to the relevant hazard situations and protect residents, businesses, and community assets in Colton . The HMP T ensured that the mitigation actions would help reduce damage from the most frequent types of hazard events, the most significant that may reasonably occur, and those with the greatest potential to harm the co mmunity. The HMPT also drafted mitigation actions to help protect the most vulnerable community members and the most vulnerable local assets.

Capabilities Assessment
As part of the effort to draft mitigation actions, the City completed a capabilities assessment that included reviewing existing policies, personnel, and technical resources to support hazard mitigation activities in Colton . The hazard mitigation actions build o n these resources' existing success and leverage their capabilities to support improved resiliency in the community. The capabilities assessment looked at the following types of resources:
• Personnel resources: City employees and volunteers, and employees and volunteers at other agencies
• Plan resources: Advisory or enforceable plans adopted by the City or other agencies • Policy resources: Policies adopted and implemented by the City or other agencies • Technical resources: Data and tools available to the City • Financial resources: Funding mechanisms available to the City that support mitigation activities

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CAPABILITIES IMPROVEMENT/EXPANSION
The ability to expand current mitigation capabilities will generally be reliant upon the budgeting allocated for each department/program for that fiscal year. The level at which these programs may or may not be expanded upon will depend upon the amount of funding received. FEMA has released a series of guides over the past few years that highlight some of the ways that jurisdictions can expand mitigation. Some strategies for increasing current mitigation capabilities may include:
1) The City should actively identify, adopt, and enforce the most current set of development codes and standards available. Strongly encouraging new development to be constructed to higher standards than currently required increas es resilience within the community.
2) Engaging parts of the community that may not be actively involved in mitigation efforts. 3) Expanding the number and types of organizations involved in mitigation planning and implementation, increasing both efficiency and bandwidth. 4) Fostering new relationships to bring underrepresented populations and partners to the hazard mitigation planning process.
5) During the annual LHMP review, the committee should look for opportunities to fund and expand/enhance the effectiveness of current mitigation actions.

Table 37 shows the capabilities assessment for Colton .

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Legal and Regulatory Capabilities
Colton City General
Plan – Housing
Element (2021)
The Housing Element contains the
following material:
• Discusses demographics, such as
age and race.
• Includes a description of the
household, including size, income,
and home ownership.
• Discusses new housing growth
needs.
• Discusses sustainability and
energy efficiency.
• Addresses building code.

The Housing Element can be found at:
https://www.ci.colton.ca.us/778/Plannin
g-Documents
Expansion and Improvement:

The Housing Element and LHMP
will be aligned to describe the City
and its population.

Colton City General
Plan – Land Use
Element (2013)
The Land Use Element serves as a
guide to the ultimate development
pattern for the City, both within its
incorporated boundaries and sphere of
influence. The Land Use Element:
• Designates the distribution,
location, and balance of land uses.
• Describes the desired build- out of
Colton.
• Describes building intensity
standards for each land use.
• Communicates population density.
• Facilitates compatibility between
land uses.

The entire Land Use Element can be
found at:
https://www.ci.colton.ca.us/778/Plannin
g-Documents
Expansion and Improvement:

The City will align the Land Use
Element and LHMP to describe
developmental trends, hazards,
and potential development in
hazard areas.

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Colton City General
Plan – Safety
Element (2018)
The Safety Element identifies potential
hazards:
• Climate change
• Flooding
• Hazardous material release
• Seismically induced conditions,
including ground shaking, surface
rupture, ground failure, slope
instability leading to mudslides and
landslides, subsidence, and other
geologic hazards
• Wildland and urban fires

It discusses water supply requirements
and design standards for new
development as they relate to identified
fire, seismic, and geologic hazards.

The Safety Element can be found at:
https://www.ci.colton.ca.us/778/Plannin
g-Documents
Expansion and Improvement:

The LHMP will be linked by
reference to the Safety Element of
the General Plan. The City will
adopt the approved LHMP as part
of the General Plan to meet the
requirements of AB 2140. As the
City revises the Safety Element, it
will include applicable materi al
from the LHMP for hazard analysis
and goals. The City intends to add
drought to the Safety Element.

Area Specific Plans
Colton maintains specific plans for
various areas, including:
• Reche Canyon (1991)
• HUB City Center (2014)
• South Colton Livable Corridor
(2019)
• Roquet Ranch (2018)

These plans adapt the precepts of the
General Plan’s Land Use and Housing
Elements to specific parts of the City.

Expansion and Improvement:

The LHMP will take the specific
plans into account when
determining development trends,
hazards, and mitigation
opportunities.

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Capital
Improvement
Program (CIP)
Colton’s Capital Improvement Program
is a set of planned construction
projects at City -owned buildings,
facilities, and infrastructure. Examples
may include new or retrofitted City
facilities, street repairs or
modifications, and improvements to
drainage systems. Colton’s CIP was
last updated during the budget process
for the 2024/2025 fiscal year and is set
to be updated every five years .

Funding may come from grants or
dedicated revenue sources.

The 2024/2025 CIP can be found at :
https://www.ci.colton.ca.us/DocumentC
enter/View/8324/CIP- PROJECTS-FY-
22-23-rev-04042023
Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions that involve
construction or retrofits to City
buildings, facilities, and
infrastructure may be included in
the CIP.

Colton Municipal
Code – Chapter

2.28, Emergency
Organization (1971)
This section of the Municipal Code
provides for the preparation and
implementation of plans for the
protection of people and property
within the City during an emergency,
the direction of the emergency
organization, and the coordination of
Colton’s emergency functions with all
other public agencies, corporations,
organizations, and affected private
persons.

This section of the Municipal Code can
be found at:
https://library.municode.com/ca/colton/
codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TI
T2ADPE_CH2.28EMOR
Expansion and Improvement:

The emergency management
organization described in the
Municipal Code represents a
framework for understanding
preparedness activities. It can
inform the LHMP as to how the
City prepares to respond to
hazards.

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Colton Municipal
Code – Title 15,
Buildings and
Construction (2022)
Colton’s Building and Construction
codes include several individual codes
and regulations, including the City’s
Building Code, Electrical Code, and
Fire Code, which govern the
construction of new and renovated
buildings. These standards are
published by the state and adopted by
local communities, sometimes with
amendments to address local issues.

They are typically updated every three
years, although more minor updates
may occur in the interim.

The building and construction safety
code can be found at:
https://library.municode.com/ca/colton/
codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TI
T15BUCO
Expansion and Improvement:

The City can update Buildings and
Construction codes with local
amendments that require new or
renovated buildings to better resist
damage or harm to occupants
during a disaster and so may
support hazard mitigation activities.

Colton City
Municipal Code –
Title 18, Zoning
Code (2013)
The City’s Zoning Code is a set of
regulations for different land uses in
the community. It establishes
standards for where different types of
development and land use activity may
occur (including defining hazard- prone
areas where different development and
land use standards may apply), how
they look, how they can be operated,
and the necessary permitting and
approval processes for development.

The Zoning Code is an implementation
tool of the City’s General Plan and
plays a significant role in determining
Colton’s appearance and community
characteristics.

The zoning code can be found at:
https://library.municode.com/ca/colton/
codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TI
T18ZO
Expansion and Improvement:

Understanding land- use policy and
regulatory requirements is
essential to developing mitigation
strategies and activities. The land-
use components of the Municipal
Code will inform the development
of LHMP mitigation actions.

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Floodplain
Management
Regulations –
Municipal Code
Chapter 15.22
(2015)
Colton’s Floodplain Management
Regulations are required for the City’s
participation in the National Flood
Insurance Program. Under the terms of
these regulations, construction
activities within the 100- year floodplain
must feature flood- resilient design
features. The regulations also limit the
types of land- use activities that can be
conducted within the 100- year
floodplain.

The Floodplain Management
Regulations can be found at:
https://library.municode.com/ca/colton/
codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TI
T15BUCO_CH15.22FLMARE
Expansion and Improvement:

Amendments to Colton’s
Floodplain Management
Regulations could help implement
mitigation actions that address the
vulnerability of buildings in the
100-year floodplain.

Seismic
Strengthening for
Unreinforced
Masonry Buildings
Regulations –
Municipal Code
Chapter 15.20
(2015)
Colton’s Seismic Strengthening for
Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
Regulations are a set of standards
requiring all existing buildings with an
unreinforced masonry bearing wall to
undergo retrofitting that make the
buildings more resistant to seismic
shaking.

These regulations can be found at:
https://library.municode.com/ca/colton/
codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TI
T15BUCO_CH15.20SESTUNMABU
Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions that relate to the
seismic resiliency of unreinforced
masonry buildings in Colton may
be implemented through
amendments to this set of
regulations. Mitigation actions
related to the resiliency of other
building types (including other
hazards) may be implemented
through a similar set of standards.

City Emergency
Operations Plan
(EOP)
The EOP explains how the City will
respond to a major emergency or
disaster and coordinate between the
Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
and field-level incident commanders.

The EOP includes a brief description of
each hazard; the concept of operations
during a major emergency or disaster;
the role of the EOC; and the
coordination that occurs between the
EOC, county departments, and other
local, state, and federal governments
in times of disaster.

Expansion and Improvement:

The LHMP informs the hazards
section of the EOP, as the two are
closely correlated.

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
San Bernardino
County Multi -
Jurisdictional
Hazard Mitigation
Plan (2022)
The San Bernardino County Multi -
Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
(SBC MHMP) identifies hazard events
present in the unincorporated areas of
San Bernardino County and
recommends mitigation actions to
reduce the harm from these events.

The SBC MHMP can be found at the
following link:
https://www.sbcounty.gov/uploads/OE
S/documents/Hazardous -Mitigation-
Plan.pdf
Expansion and Improvement:

The county and Colton can share
resources and best practices for
hazard mitigation activities. Similar
mitigation actions in the county’s
and Colton’s plans can help create
more regional consistency.

Mitigation actions that require
coordination with the San
Bernardino County Office of
Emergency Services or other
county agencies may be integrated
into the SBC MHMP.

California Building
Standards Code
(2022)
The California Building Standards
Code is a compilation of three types of
building standards from three different
origins:
• Building standards that state
agencies have adopted without
change from the International
Building Code.
• Building standards that have been
adopted and adapted from national
model codes to address
California’s ever -changing
conditions.
• Building standards authorized by
the California legislature that
constitute amendments not
covered by national model codes,
which have been created and
adopted to address California
concerns.

Expansion and Improvement:

Adherence to building codes,
including local codes, regulates
growth and controls land use
patterns. Addressing known
hazards as codes are updated
results in lowered risk and
potentially fewer losses.

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TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
California
Emergency
Services Act
California Government Code §§8550-
8669.7 codifies the California
Emergency Services Act. It covers the
entire range of disaster and emergency
powers and responsibilities of state
and local government dealing with any
natural or human- caused disasters or a
state of war.

The California Emergency Services Act
can be found at:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/
codes_displayexpandedbranch.xhtml?l
awCode=GOV&division=1.&title=2.&pa
rt=&chapter=7.&article=1.&goUp=Y
Expansion and Improvement:

The City shall maintain a current
version of the Emergency Services
Act to inform the City Council and
staff of changes to disaster
mitigation and preparedness
activities and processes in the
state.

California State
Hazard Mitigation
Plan (2023)
California’s State Hazard Mitigation
Plan identifies and analyzes the
various natural and human -caused
hazards in California. It includes
descriptions of these hazards,
summaries of past hazard events,
assessment of how these hazards may
harm people and other assets in
California, and projections of future
hazard conditions.

The California SHMP can be found at:
https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office- of-
the-director/operations/recovery -
directorate/hazard- mitigation/state-
mitigation-planning/
Expansion and Improvement:

The City can use the 2023 SHMP
as a source of information to refine
the hazard profiles and
vulnerability assessments in future
LHMPs.

National Flood
Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) makes federally backed flood
insurance available to homeowners,
renters, and business owners in
participating communities. The City will
continue to participate in the NFIP
program and will make changes
accordingly.

Expansion and Improvement:

City websites and social media
accounts will include information
on the value of NFIP insurance for
properties located in flood hazard
areas and how to buy the
insurance.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 135

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Administrative and Technical Capabilities
Development
Services
Department
The Development Services
Department is responsible for
conducting short - and long-term
planning activities in Colton, approving
building permits and business licenses,
and inspecting private properties.

Through these activities, the
Development Services Department
enforces the City’s Buildings and
Construction codes and related
standards, as well as all land- use
regulations.

Expansion and Improvement:

The Development Services
Department staff can carry out any
mitigation actions related to land
use, construction of new structures
or retrofits to existing ones, and
operating conditions of private
property.

Electric Utility
Department
Colton’s Electric Utility Department
provides electrical service to properties
in the community and maintains the
City’s electricity distribution network.

As a part of these duties, it is
responsible for setting electrical rates
and has purview over local renewable
energy and electrical energy efficiency
programs.

Expansion and Improvement:

The Electric Utility Department
staff will implement mitigation
actions that relate to electrical
service and electrical infrastructure
resilience.

Finance Division
Colton’s Finance Division, part of the
City’s Management Services
Department, is responsible for the
City’s financial operations. It conducts
budgeting activities, handles the City’s
payroll, provides general accounting
services, and prepares financial
reports.

Expansion and Improvement:

Finance Division staff can support
efforts to improve local resiliency
by integrating mitigation actions
into the City budget and
administering mitigation- related
grants.

Fire Department
The Colton Fire Department is
responsible for firefighting, fire
protection, and emergency medical
response services in the community.

This includes mitigation activities that
reduce the likelihood of fires or limit the
damage from such events. Department
activities also include efforts to prepare
for local disasters and support a more
effective response. The Fire
Department is responsible for
mitigation actions that involve
resiliency to wildfire.

Expansion and Improvement:

Provide training to staff to enable
them to see potential hazards
better and take action to report
them. Use the Fire Marshal to
provide input into the LHMP
mitigation action plan.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 136

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Police Department
The Colton Police Department is
responsible for law enforcement,
criminal investigation, traffic control,
and emergency response. Mitigation
actions that fall within the Police
Department’s purview include those
related to the safe movement of traffic
and the security of community
members during emergency events.

Expansion and Improvement:

Provide training to officers to
enable them to see potential
hazards better and take action to
report them.

Public Works
Department
The Colton Public Works Department
is responsible for maintaining City -
owned buildings and parks,
constructing and maintaining City
streets, bridges, traffic signals, storm
drain facilities and sidewalks (including
streetside trees and other public
landscaping), and maintaining the
City’s vehicle fleet. The Department
also provides engineering services to
the City, oversees the Capital
Improvement Program, and issues
permits for engineering activities on
private land.

Expansion and Improvement:

Public Works engineers and
technicians manage the C ity’s
infrastructure. They possess a
critical understanding of the risks
posed by hazards and potential
mitigation activities to address the
risks to lifeline infrastructure. Their
input into developing infrastructure
mitigation strategies and actions is
critical.

Water and
Wastewater
Department
Colton’s Water and Wastewater
Department provides water service to
approximately 90 percent of the
community, and wastewater collection
and some treatment services to all of
Colton. This includes constructing,
maintaining, and operating the
infrastructure that sources and
distributes most of the City’s water and
conveys the City’s wastewater. Such
systems include groundwater wells,
pump stations, pipes, storage tanks,
and wastewater treatment facilities.

The Water and Wastewater
Department is also responsible for
water conservation activities within its
service territory.

Expansion and Improvement:

The Water and Wastewater
Department staff may implement
any mitigation actions that involve
Colton’s water sources, how much
water the community uses, the
City’s water or wastewater -related
infrastructure, or other issues
related to water and wastewater
services.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 137

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Floodplain Manager
The duties and responsibilities of the
Floodplain Administrator include:
• Permit review
• Flood hazard reduction
• NFIP program administration
• Construction inspections
Expansion and Improvement:

The Floodplain Administrator
supports compliance with NFIP
requirements, advocates for
appropriate development in flood
hazard areas, and provides
technical expertise on effective
flood mitigation activities. These
actions can support mitigation
activities.

Planning
Commission
This five-member Commission—
established by state law —studies
proposed developments that may
affect the community’s growth and
environment. This Commission
determines whether proposed
developments will meet the City’s
technical, environmental, and aesthetic
standards. The Commission holds
public hearings to review development
plan compliance with the City’s zoning
regulations and General Plan.

Expansion and Improvement:

Provide continued education
opportunities for Planning
Commission members to maintain
state-of-the-art knowledge of the
new code and regulatory
requirements.

City Attorney
The City Attorney provides legal advice
to the City Council and City Manager
and reviews and approves resolutions
and ordinances.

Expansion and Improvement:

Provide opportunities for the City
Attorney to review updates to
regulatory information to provide
expert review of county and state
resolutions and ordinances that
address hazard mitigation
City Clerk
The City Clerk administers elections,
all legislative actions, and public
transparency functions. The City Clerk
is also a compliance officer for federal,
state, and local statutes, including the
Political Reform Act and the Brown
Act.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City Clerk is integral to the
LHMP adoption process. She/he
makes sure the adoption resolution
meets all administrative
requirements.

Community GIS
Provides complex mapping and data
management of City facilities, land use,
and potential hazards. It supports the
visualization of complex data sets
using geolocation and data correlation.

Expansion and Improvement:

Acquire and conduct training for
GIS technicians on the latest
versions of ArcGIS. Integrate GIS
into the City EOC.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 138

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
San Bernardino
County Office of
Emergency
Services
The San Bernardino County Office of
Emergency Services (SBC OES) is
responsible for emergency planning,
hazard mitigation, and emergency
response and recovery activities
throughout the county, in collaboration
with local communities. SBC OES
helps coordinate activities between the
county and cities, conducts emergency
training and exercises, and manages
emergency grants, among other
activities.

Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions involving
coordination with county agencies
or other cities may be facilitated
through work with SBC OES. SBC
OES can also support Colton’s
own hazard mitigation activities by
providing funding or other
resources.

San Bernardino
County Flood
Control District
The San Bernardino County Flood
Control District —part of the county’s
Department of Public Works —is
responsible for constructing and
maintaining flood control infrastructure
in San Bernardino County, such as
drainage basins and channels. The
District also is a partial operator of the
Seven Oaks Dam on the headwaters of
the Santa Ana River. The courses of
the Santa Ana River and Warm Creek,
as well as various drainage channels
throughout Colton, fall under the
District’s purview.

Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions that involve
changes to flood control
infrastructure in Colton will likely
require support and coordination
with the County Flood Control
District.

San Bernardino
Valley Municipal
Water District
The San Bernardino Valley Municipal
Water District (SBVMWD) is
responsible for long- term water supply
in the San Bernardino Valley. The
District acts as a water wholesaler,
obtaining water from various sources
and distributing it to local water
suppliers. The SBVMWD imports water
from the State Water Project and
manages most of the valley’s
groundwater basins.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City can work with SBVMWD
on mitigation actions that relate to
local water supply and water use.

West Valley Water
District
The West Valley Water District
(WVWD) provides water services to
various communities in San Bernardino
County, including approximately ten
percent of Colton. Like Colton’s own
Water and Wastewater Department,
the WVWD is responsible for sourcing
water, maintaining water delivery
infrastructure, and administering water
conservation and related programs for
its service territory.

Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions involving water
supply and use can be
implemented throughout all of
Colton in collaboration with the
WVWD.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 139

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Southern California
Association of
Governments
(SCAG)

Functions as the Metropolitan Planning
Organization for Los Angeles, Orange,
San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura,
and Imperial Counties. SCAG is
mandated by the federal government
to research and draw up plans for
transportation, growth management,
hazardous waste management, and air
quality.

Expansion and Improvement:

Attend SCAG meetings. Continue
to participate in SCAG -sponsored
programs. Routinely coordinate
with SCAG staff to stay informed of
current planning initiatives.

California
Governor’s Office
of Emergency
Services (Cal OES)
The California Governor’s Office of
Emergency Services is responsible for
reducing hazards through mitigation
activities, conducting emergency
planning, supporting emergency
response and recovery activities, and
liaising between local and federal
agencies on emergency -related issues.

Cal OES guides hazard mitigation
planning activities, shares best
practices, and distributes funding
opportunities.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City can work with Cal OES to
obtain funding to implement LHMP
mitigation strategies and receive
future updates.

Cal-Adapt
Cal-Adapt is an online tool that
provides detailed projections for future
climate-related conditions in California,
including factors such as temperature,
precipitation, and sea- level rise. These
projections can help inform future
hazard planning and explain how
hazard conditions are expected to
change.

Cal-Adapt can be found at: https://cal-
adapt.org/
Expansion and Improvement:

The City can use Cal -Adapt to
monitor anticipated changes in
future climate conditions and
adjust mitigation actions
accordingly.

California
Department of
Transportation
(Caltrans)
The California Department of
Transportation has design,
construction, operation, and
maintenance jurisdiction over
designated state and federal highways,
including CA-60, CA-66, CA-210, and
Interstates I -10 and I-215.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City will coordinate with
Caltrans to implement mitigation
measures related to ensuring the
resilience of state- designated
routes.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 140

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
South Coast Air
Quality
Management
District (South
Coast AQMD)
The South Coast Air Quality
Management District develops plans
and regulations designed to achieve
public health standards by reducing
emissions from business and industry.

South Coast AQMD’s Governing Board
adopts plans and regulations for the
region, then submits them to the
California Air Resources Board and the
federal EPA
Expansion and Improvement:

Some of the City’s mitigation
actions involve installing diesel
generators for power backup. The
City will have to coordinate with
South Coast AQMD to obtain
permits to operate these
generators and to remain within
clear air goals while operating
them.

Federal Emergency
Management
Agency (FEMA)
The Federal Emergency Management
Agency is responsible for hazard
mitigation, emergency preparedness,
and emergency response and recovery
at the national level. FEMA provides
hazard mitigation guidance to state
and local governments, including
information on best practices and
compliance with federal requirements
for hazard mitigation plans. It also
provides a number of grants for hazard
mitigation activities.

Expansion and Improvement:

FEMA can assist Colton with
developing mitigation actions and
support their implementation
through grants. The agency also
provides guidance that Colton will
use in future updates to its LHMP.

American Red
Cross
The American Red Cross is a
humanitarian assistance organization
that provides disaster relief services in
the aftermath of emergency events.

This includes operating emergency
disaster shelters, distributing meals
and relief supplies, and providing basic
health services.

Expansion and Improvement:

There may be opportunities for the
Red Cross to support mitigation
activities through community
engagement and education.

BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is one of the
country’s major freight railroad
companies. It owns the main north-
south railway line in Colton and its
various spur lines, and operates a rail
yard immediately north of the City.

Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions that relate to the
resilience of Colton’s railways and
related issues will need to be
implemented in coordination with
BNSF.

Southern California
Edison (SCE)
Southern California Edison provides
electricity to most of Southern
California. Although it supplies
electricity to only a small number of
properties in Colton, it owns and
operates the high- voltage electrical
transmission lines and most of the
electrical substations in the community.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City will need to coordinate
with SCE regarding mitigation
actions that involve the resilience
of Colton’s high- voltage
transmission lines and other
electrical infrastructure not owned
by the City. SCE can also support
other mitigation actions that inv olve
electricity.

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Page | 141

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Southern California
Gas Company
(SoCalGas)
The Southern California Gas Company
is the natural gas service provider for
most of Southern California, including
Colton. In addition to providing natural
gas service, it owns and operates the
natural gas infrastructure in and
around the community.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City will need to coordinate
with SoCal Gas on implementation
of mitigation actions that involve
natural gas use or relate to the
resilience of natural gas
infrastructure.

Union Pacific
Railroad (UPRR)
The Union Pacific Railroad is a major
freight railroad company. It owns the
primary east -west railway line in Colton
and various spur lines and operates a
rail yard in western Colton.

Expansion and Improvement:

Mitigation actions related to railway
resiliency in the community, as well
as related issues, will require
coordination with UPRR to
implement.

Financial Resources
General Fund
Colton’s General Fund is revenue that
the City collects from sales tax,
property tax, other taxes, license and
permit fees, fines, and various other
sources. Unlike other sources of
revenue that are often restricted to
specific types of projects or programs,
General Fund revenue may be used for
any City expenses. Currently, most
General Fund revenue is spent on City
staff salary and benefits.

Expansion and Improvement:

The General Fund can provide the
financial resources to implement
mitigation actions that cannot be
feasibly funded through other
mechanisms, including paying for
additional staff as needed.

Electric Utility Fund
The Electric Utility Fund is a dedicated
pot of money accrued from the
electricity service fees charged to
Colton Electric customers. The utility
uses this Fund to pay for salaries for its
employees, maintenance and
operations of the City’s electricity
network, and other charges related to
running Colton Electric.

Expansion and Improvement:

The Electric Utility Fund can
support mitigation actions that
improve resiliency of electrical
services and infrastructure.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 142

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Water and
Wastewater Utility
Funds
The Water Utility Fund and
Wastewater Utility Fund are two
separate funds to collect the fees
charged to City water and wastewater
customers. Salaries for water and
wastewater employees are paid from
these funds, along with maintenance
and operations of water and
wastewater systems, capital
improvements to water and wastewater
infrastructure, and other charges
related to these services.

Expansion and Improvement:

The water and wastewater utility
funds may support mitigation
actions that involve water or
wastewater service or
infrastructure in Colton.

California
Proposition One
Bond Programs
Authorizes $7.545 billion in general
obligation bonds to fund ecosystems
and watershed protection and
restoration, water supply infrastructure
projects, including surface and
groundwater storage, and drinking
water protection.

Expansion and Improvement:

Provides monetary opportunities
for projects that are outside
traditional mitigation projects.

Community
Development Block
Grants (CDBG)
The federal CDBG program provides
funding for eligible senior activities
such as in- home care, art classes,
counseling, and home- delivered meals.

HUD also provides disaster recovery
assistance in the form of flexible grants
to help cities, counties, and st ates
recover from Presidentially declared
disasters, especially in low -income
areas, subject to the availability of
supplemental appropriations.

Expansion and Improvement:

Where applicable, CDBG grants
should be used to fund mitigation
projects that enhance the
resiliency of low -income and
underserved communities.

Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program
(HMPG)
Provides support for pre- and post-
disaster mitigation plans and projects.

Expansion and Improvement:

Train staff on notice of intent (NOI)
procedures and track opportunities
on the Cal OES mitigation website
to initiate applications for grant
funding.

Flood Mitigation
Assistance Grant
Program (FMA)
Mitigates structures and infrastructure
that have been repetitively flooded.

Expansion and Improvement:

Train staff on NOI procedures and
track opportunities on the Cal OES
mitigation website to initiate
applications for grant funding

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 143

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Education and Outreach Capabilities
Colton Ready
Disaster
Preparedness
Guide
The Colton Fire Department website
offers a residents’ guide to disaster
preparedness. It discusses evacuation,
making an emergency plan, stocking
supplies, staying informed, and getting
involved.

Colton Ready can be found at:
https://www.coltonfire.com/disaster -
preparedness -guide/
Expansion and Improvement:

Provide links to county, state, and
federal preparedness information. City Social Media
Accounts

In addition to normal City business and
events, Colton’s social media accounts
provide alert and warning information,
safety and evacuation procedures, and
information on home and individual
preparedness.

The City’s social media accounts
include:
• Facebook
• Instagram
• X
Expansion and Improvement:

Repost emergency -related news
and directions from neighboring
cities, county, state, and federal
social media during disasters. Post
preparedness -related material that
links to the appropriate sources.

Community
Emergency
Response Team
(CERT)

Colton’s CERT program educates
residents about disaster preparedness
for hazards that may impact their area
and trains them in basic disaster
response skills, such as fire safety,
light search and rescue, team
organization, and disaster medical
operations.

Using the training learned in the
classroom and during practical
exercises, CERT members can assist
others in their neighborhood or
workplace immediately following an
event when professional emergency
responders are not immediately
available to help.

Expansion and Improvement:

Include material in CERT
curriculum that provides updates to
progress in the mitigation action
plan, including links to the
appropriate website page. CERT
volunteers can also assist with
mitigation-related outreach
activities.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 144

TABLE 37. CITY OF COLTON CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT
Resource Resource Description
Connection to Current
Mitigation/Future Opportunities
for Expansion and Improvement
Emergency
Communications
Services
Emergency Communications Services
(ECS) is a group of volunteer FCC -
licensed amateur radio operators who
can provide backup communication
services if a disaster damages or
destroys conventional communication
networks. ECS volunteers can provide
communication services for emergency
response personnel and other key City
staff, allowing for more effective
response activities. The Colton Fire
Department runs the program.

Expansion and Improvement:

ECS may implement mitigation
actions related to providing backup
emergency communication
systems. ECS volunteers may also
be able to assist with community -
wide outreach and education,
particularly on issues of
emergency communication.

San Bernardino
County Smart 911
Emergency Alerts
The county’s Emergency Alerts
program can send high- speed mass
notifications via telephone, email, and
text messages during emergencies and
disasters. This system can be targeted
to specific geographic areas.

Expansion and Improvement:

The City will continue to conduct
community outreach to increase
the number of residents who are
subscribers.

Cal OES Family
Readiness Guide
The Guide provides a comprehensive
toolkit for making a family emergency
plan.

The Cal OES Family Readiness Guide
can be found at:
https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-
content/uploads/Preparedness/Docum
ents/Cal_OES_Family_Readiness_Gui
deENG.pdf
Expansion and Improvement:

Provide a link to the Readiness
Guide on the City website and
Facebook account.

Ready.gov
FEMA’s comprehensive disaster
preparedness and response website
for businesses and residents. It
includes information about drafting
family and business emergency plans,
building go kits, acquiring emergency
supplies, and how to react to various
types of disasters.

https://www.ready.gov/
Expansion and Improvement:

Provide a link to Ready.gov on the
City web page and Facebook
account.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 145

Hazard Mitigation Strategies

HAZARD MITIGATION GOALS
The goals identified in Chapter 1 help develop policies to protect community members, ecosystems, and other important assets from hazard events. These goals informed the development of mitigation actions and acted as checkpoints to help City staff determine implementation progress.

EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIONS
The HMPT prepared a set of potential mitigation actions based on the hazard profiles, threat assessment, capabilities assessment, community survey results, discussions among HMPT members, and existing best practices. Next, the HMPT evaluated these potential actions using the following criteria:

FEMA requires local governments to evaluate potential mitigation actions' monetary and non - monetary costs and benefits. While local governments are not required to assign specific dollar values to each action, they should identify the general size of costs and benefits. The HMPT may elect to include measures with high costs or low benefits, but such measures should benefit the community and make appropriate use of local resources.

Also, FEMA directs local governments to consider the following questions as part of the financial analysis:
1) What is the frequency and severity of the hazard type to be addressed by the action, and how vulnerable is the community to this hazard?
2) What impacts of the hazard will the action reduce or avoid? 3) What benefits will the action provide to the community? The HMPT also reviewed and revised the potential hazard mitigation actions using the STAPLE/E (Social, Technical, Administrative, Political, Legal, Economic, and Environmental) criteria (Table 38). The HMPT did not formally assess every potential mitigation action under all STAPLE/E criteria but used the criteria to guide and inform the discussion. The HMPT also discussed how the criteria might evaluate grant applications the City may submit to receive funding for LHMP implementation.

CHANGES TO PREVIOUS MITIGATION ACTIONS
A review of the mitigation actions from the 2019 Colton LHMP has identified where the City has integrated these strategies into standard procedures and practices. For those actions that were not successfully implemented and remain relevant to the city, this Plan update incorporates these actions into the current mitigation action table, as displayed in Table 39. All actions from the 2019 LHMP were carried over to this plan, except for those identified in Table 40.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 146

TABLE 38. STAPLE/E CRITERIA
Issues Criteria
Social
• Is the action socially acceptable to Colton community members? • Would the action mistreat some individuals?
• Is there a reasonable chance of the action causing social disruption? Technical
• Is the action likely to reduce the risk of the hazard occurring, or will it reduce the hazard's effects?
• Will the action create new hazards or make existing hazards worse? • Is the action the most useful approach for Colton to take, given the City ’s and community members' goals?
Administrative
• Does the City have the administrative capabilities to implement the action? • Are there existing City staff who can lead and coordinate the action's implementation, or can the City reasonably hire new staff for this role? • Does the City have enough staff, funding, technical support, and other resources to implement the action?
• Are there administrative barriers to implementing the action? Political
• Is the action politically acceptable to City officials and other relevant jurisdictions and political entities?
• Do community members support the action?
Legal
• Does the City have the legal authority to implement and enforce the action?
• Are there potential legal barriers or consequences that could hinder or prevent the implementation of the action?
• Is there a reasonable chance that the implementation of the action would expose the City to legal liabilities?
• Could the action reasonably face other legal challenges? Economic
• What are the monetary costs of the action, and do the costs exceed the monetary benefits?
• What are the start -up and maintenance costs of the action, including administrative costs?
• Has the funding for action implementation been secured, or is a potential funding source available?
• How will funding the action affect the City’s financial capabilities? • Could the implementation of the action unreasonably burden the Colton economy or tax base?
• Could there reasonably be other budgetary and revenue impacts to the City?
Environmental
• What are the potential environmental impacts of the action? • Will the action require environmental regulatory approvals? • Will the action comply with all applicable federal, state, regional, and local environmental regulations?
• Will the action un reasonably affect any endangered, threatened, or otherwise sensitive species of concern?

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Page | 147

2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan
Table 39 identifies the 2025 mitigation strategies and actions proposed by the City as part of this LHMP process. In addition to the list of actions, the table also identifies potential funding sources, responsible departments, relative cost estimates, timeframes, and priorities for these actions, which are described further below. In addition to mitigation action and strategies, several preparedness activities were identified and denoted with the letter “P .”

POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES
Table 39 identifies the potential funding sources that may be used to implement mitigation strategies. These funding sources include the following federal and state sources:
• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC): A competitive FEMA grant program to support states, local communities, tribes, and territories. • Flood Mitigation Assistance Program (FMA): A competitive grant program that provides funding to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes, and territories. Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP): Provides funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to rebuild in a way that reduces or mitigates future disaster losses in their communities. This grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster.
• Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG): The federal government, through the EMPG Program, provides necessary direction, coordination, and guidance and provides necessary assistance, as authorized in this title, to support a comprehensive all -hazards emergency preparedness system. • Other Grants: Other grants may include State of California grants associated with climate change, water infrastructure, homeland security, transportation, or other funding sources that periodically become available. The list below provides some common sources:
o Climate Adaptation Planning Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program - Department of Transportation
o Sustainable Communities Competitive – Department of Transportation o CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grants Program – Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
o Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program's Climate Adaptation Planning Grant – Office of Planning and Research
o Small Community Drought Relief Program – Department of Water Resources o Addressing Climate Impacts – Department of Fish and Wildlife o Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance to Neighborhoods (CLEAN) Program – Department of Toxic Substances Control

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
Page | 148

o Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Program Construction – State Water Resources Control Board
o Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Construction – State Water Resources Control Board
o Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) Construction Grant – State Water Resources Control Board
o Equitable Community Revitalization Grants (ECRG) – Department of Toxic Substances Control
o Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) Planning Grant – State Water Resources Control Board
o Infrastructure State Revolving Fund (ISRF) Program - Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank

RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT
Table 39 includes the identification of key responsible departments that will be focused on future implementation of mitigation strategies and actions identified by the City.

RELATIVE COST ESTIMATES
The HMPT identified relative cost estimates to meet the hazard mitigation planning process's cost estimation requirements based on their understanding of the mitigation action intent and their experience developing identical or similar programs/implementing projec ts. Four cost categories based on the City’s typical cost criteria were used for budgeting purposes:
• Low cost ($): $25,000 or less
• Medium cost ($$): $25,001 to $999,999
• High cost ($$$): Greater than $1,000,000

TIMEFRAMES
Table 5-3 includes timeframes that provide general timing durations due to the nature of the mitigation actions identified by the City. The following timeframes are used based on the following conditions:
1) Ongoing (Annually): Actions that identify this timeframe are the types of actions that City staff would conduct annually.
2) Ongoing (As Needed): Actions that identify this timeframe include activities that City staff would conduct in response to a request by internal (City Departments) or external (Property Owners) forces.
3) Future Planning Process: Actions identified within this timeframe are considered low - priority actions that the City would like to continue to track but does not feel they would be able to implement in the current planning implementation timeframe.

2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan City of Colton
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For actions that use these terms, it is intended to identify that the action may add to existing capabilities and not have a particular start or end date or occur periodically. This is typically used for actions that include new policies, tasks, or standar d operating procedures intended to mitigate future risks. If a single year is stated in the timeframe column, this indicates the year the action will begin

PRIORITIZATION
As part of the mitigation actions development and review, the HMPT also prioritized the actions.

The prioritization efforts looked at the risks and threats of each hazard, financial costs and benefits, technical feasibility, and community values. HMPT members were asked to identify their priority actions through a voting exercise. Items are prioritized based on the number of votes each mitigation action receives from the HMPT members. These quantitative scores were then converted to low, medium, and high pr iority qualitative categories.

Based on the criteria and evaluation processes used during Plan development, the HMPC prepared a prioritized list of mitigation actions ( Table 39 ) to improve Colton’s resilience to hazard events.
2025 Hazard Mitigation Actions
Based on the criteria and evaluation processes used during Plan development, the HMPT prepared a prioritized list of mitigation actions ( Table 39 ) to improve Colton’s resilience to hazard events. All mitigation actions that were considered for the update are included in Table

39. Any actions integrated from the previous plan are identified in light blue. These actions collectively form Colton’s hazard mitigation strategy.

The list of actions also includes preparedness activities that are intended to improve emergency response for the City and community members when hazard events occur or are imminent.

Although these actions are not considered mitigation activities, they are expected to decrease the harm the community faces from hazard events and so support the same goals as mitigation actions.