Poway City Council
May 19, 2026

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Poway as follows:

SECTION 1: The above recitals are true and correct.

SECTION 2: The City Council considered California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Article 5, Section 15061(b)(3), known as the "Common Sense" Exemption, and found that it is adequate to address the revisions made to the Public Safety Element. In accordance with Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines, no further environmental review is required.

SECTION 3: The City Council hereby approves GPA 26-0001 for adoption of the Public Safety Element Update, incorporated herein by reference.

SECTION 4: Severability. If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this resolution or its application to any person or circumstance, is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases of this ordinance, or its application to any other person or circumstance. The City Council declares that it would have adopted each section subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact of any one or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases hereof be declared invalid or unenforceable.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Poway, California on the 19th day of May, 2026 by the following vote, to wit:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSTAINED:

ABSENT:

DISQUALI Fl ED:

Steve Vaus, Mayor
ATTEST:

Carrie Gallagher, CMC, City Clerk
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May 19, 2026, Item #14
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CITY OF POWAY

PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENT
2026

ATTACHMENT B
May 19, 2026, Item #14
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1-1 A. Purpose and Content of the Public Safety Element... ............................................................ 1-1 B. State Requirements ............................................................................................................... 1-2 C. Relationship with Other Resources ....................................................................................... 1-3 D. Concept of Risk ..................................................................................................................... 1-6 E. Scope and Organization ........................................................................................................ 1-7 CHAPTER 2: LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES .................................................................................................. 2-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 2-1 B. Crime Prevention ................................................................................................................... 2-1 C. Law Enforcement and Land Use ........................................................................................... 2-2 CHAPTER 3: EVACUATION PLANNING ............................................................................................................... 3-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 3-1 B. Primary Evacuation Corridors ............................................................................................... 3-2 C. Neighborhood Ingress and Egress ........................................................................................ 3-4 D. At-Risk Populations ............................................................................................................... 3-5 CHAPTER 4: FIRE HAZARDS ............................................................................................................................... 4-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 4-1 B. Structure and Urban Fires .................................................................................................... .4-6 C. Wild land Fires ........................................................................................................................ 4-8 CHAPTER 5: FLOODING HAZARDS ..................................................................................................................... 5-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 5-1 B. Drainage System ................................................................................................................... 5-1 C. Flooding Hazards .................................................................................................................. 5-1 D. Natural Flooding .................................................................................................................... 5-5 E. Dam Inundation ..................................................................................................................... 5-5 F. Flood Management and lmprovement. .................................................................................. 5-6 CHAPTER 6: GEOLOGIC & SEISMIC HAZARDS .................................................................................................. 6-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 6-1 B. Local Geology ....................................................................................................................... 6-1 C. Geologic Hazards .................................................................................................................. 6-4 D. Seismic Hazards ................................................................................................................... 6-4 CHAPTER 7: CLIMATE RESILIENCE .................................................................................................................... 7-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 7-1 B. Climate Effects on Hazards and Risk .................................................................................... 7-1 C. Extreme Heat ........................................................................................................................ 7-2 D. Drought ................................................................................................................................. 7-2 E. Extreme Weather (Heavy Rains) ........................................................................................... 7-4 CHAPTER 8: HAZARDOUS WASTE ......................................................................................................... : ............ 8-1 A. Background ........................................................................................................................... 8-1 B. Hazardous Waste Management ............................................................................................ 8-1 CHAPTER 9: NOISE HAZARDS ............................................................................................................................. 9-1 A. Noise Hazards ....................................................................................................................... 9-1 CHAPTER 10: GOALS, POLICIES, AND ACTION ITEMS ................................................................................... 10-1 10 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter 1
Introduction
A. Purpose and Content of the Public Safety Element
The City of Poway provides for the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare of its residents and their property. The Public Safety Element, a state-mandated element of the General Plan, provides comprehensive policy guidance to mitigate risk and ensure quality public safety services. It addresses the needs of both the current and future population of Poway. The goal of the Public Safety Element is to reduce the potential risk of death, injuries, property damage, and substantial economic and social disruption resulting from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate, and other hazards affecting the City and its residents. By identifying and mitigating the risks of these hazards through actionable goals and policies, the City of Poway aims to protect public health, safety, and well-being throughout the community.

Central to the Public Safety Element is the identification and assessment of natural and human­ caused hazards that could impact the community. This hazard assessment informs the goals and policies to mitigate risk. Additionally, the hazard assessment addresses climate adaptation, integrating measures to cope with the effects of drought and wildfire risk and climatic trends.

The provisions of the Public Safety Element are designed to work in coordination with existing emergency management and safety resources to provide a comprehensive approach to public safety. The Public Safety Element identifies current emergency management capabilities and improves the City of Poway's commitment to safety through proactive and comprehensive police, fire, building, and code enforcement services. These services encourage community outreach, maintain local agency partnerships, promote prevention, and enhance technical, logistical, and technological systems to prepare for and respond to public safety needs. As part of its coordinated framework with City emergency services, the Public Safety Element includes mandated evacuation planning to ensure resident safety during and after major hazard events.

No community can be fully protected against all potential natural and man-made hazards. Many hazards are difficult to predict or occur with little warning. The unpredictability of hazards can cause fear within the community due to the perceived danger they present; however, the City of Poway can be prepared for hazards and ensure the population is aware •Of hazard risks to minimize anxiety. By identifying risks and informing residents of safety goals and policies, the City of Poway fosters awareness of hazards and promotes public safety practices.

The City of Poway's General Plan, originally adopted in October 1983 as part of a broader Comprehensive Plan, serves as the long-range blueprint for guiding the City's physical, social, economic, and environmental development. The Comprehensive Plan initially included the General Plan, Zoning Development Code, and an Environmental Analysis Section, which together provided both policy direction and regulatory framework. A major update in 1991 refined the General Plan and replaced the Environmental Analysis Section with a Master Environmental Assessment (MEA), supported by a separate environmental impact report.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
City of Poway
1 • Introduction
The General Plan is organized into six master elements-Community Development, Public Facilities, Transportation, Natural Resources, Public Safety, and Housing-with several elements further subdivided to address specific planning topics. The Public Safety Element, first adopted in 1983 and updated alongside the General Plan in 1991, outlines the City's approach to emergency services and hazard management. This document reflects the most current update to the Public Safety Element, continuing Poway's commitment to coordinated, comprehensive planning for community safety.

B. State Requirements
State planning law requires cities to identify hazardous conditions and to prepare and implement policies to increase public health and safety. This is mandated by Government Code 65302(9).

Additionally, several state senate bills and assembly bills also govern the content and components of the Public Safety Element. Cities may choose to add additional topics to an Element beyond what is required.

The following state requirements are addressed within the Public Safety Element:

Table 1-1
State Requirements Summary
Required Public Safety Element components
GC 65302(g)(1) requires the identification of unreasonable risks and policies for the protection of the community from such risks.

GC 65302(g)(1) requires the review of slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides.

GC 65302(g)(1) requires the review of seismic risks including seismically induced service rupture, ground shaking, ground failure, tsunami, seiche, and dam failure, subsidence, liquefaction, and other seismic or geologic hazards. This includes the mapping of known seismic and other geologic hazards.

GC 65302(g)(1) requires the addressing of evacuation routes, military installations, peak load supply water requirements, and minimum road widths and clearances around structures.

GC 65302(g)(2) requires the review of flooding risks including identifying flood hazard zones, FEMA flood insurance maps, dam failure maps, areas subject to inundation, historic flood information, existing and planned development in flood hazard areas, and agencies with responsibility for flood protection.

GC 65302(g)(3) I (Senate Bi/11241) requires the review of wildland and urban fires including the identification of, and policies for, the protection of the community from any unreasonable risks associated with wild land and urban fires. This shall include the identification of Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, historical data on wildfires, existing and planned development within these areas, and agencies with responsibility for fire protection.

GC 65302(g)(4) I (Senate Bi/11035 and Senate Bi/1379) requires the review of climate change, adaptation, and resilience including the creation of a vulnerability assessment that identifies the risks that climate change poses to the local jurisdiction.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
Required Public Safety Element components
City of Poway
1 • Introduction
GC 65302(g)(4) I (Assembly Bill 2140) authorizes local governments to adopt a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan or their jurisdictional annex of a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) with the General Plan Safety Element, through integration or incorporation by reference. The City is a participating jurisdiction of the San Diego County MJHMP and maintains the City of Poway Annex to comply with this requirement.

GC 65302(g)(5) -(g)(8) includes other considerations and requires that the Public Safety Element be updated upon each update to the Housing Element and upon each update to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.

GC 65302.15 I (Senate Bill 99, Assembly Bill 7 47, Assembly Bill 1409) requires the identification of evacuation locations and evacuation routes and their capacity, safety, and viability under a range of emergency scenarios. Senate Bill 99 requires cities and counties to update the safety elements of their general plans to identify residential developments in hazard areas that lack at least two emergency evacuation routes.

GC 65302(f)(1) requires the identification and evaluation of noise problems in the community including noise from highways and freeways, primary arterials and major local streets, railroad operations and ground rapid transit systems, aviation facilities, industrial facilities, and other ground stationary noise sources.

GC 65302(f)(2) requires that noise contours be shown for all of these sources and stated in terms of community noise equivalent level (CNEL) or day-night average (Ldn).

GC 65302(f)(3) requires noise contours to be used as a guide for establishing a pattern of land use that minimizes the exposure of the community to excessive noise.

GC 65302(f)(4) requires that implementation measures and possible solutions for addressing excessive noise be developed.

C. Relationship with Other Resources
The Public Safety Element is part of a comprehensive approach to safety throughout the City of Poway. This approach includes existing planning documents, programs, and resources that address hazard mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. These resources include Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP)1, Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)2, City of Poway Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) (an internal city resource), County of San Diego Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)3, and evacuation planning measures.
' "Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan." County of San Diego, 2023, www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/oes/emergency_management/oesjl_mitplan.html. 2 "Community Wildfire Protection Plan." County of San Diego, 2019, https://firesafesdcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CA_SanDiego_CNTY _2019.pdf. 3 "San Diego County Emergency Operations Plan." Www.sandiegocounty.gov, www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/oes/emergency_management/oesjl_oparea.html.

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1. General
Plan
Elements
City
of
Poway
1 •
Introduction
The
remaining
General
Plan
Elements,
Public
Facilities,
Community
Development,
Transportation,
Natural
Resources,
and
Housing,
are
all
interconnected
with
the
Public
Safety
Element
, as
outlined
:

The
Public
Facilities
Element
outlines
plans
and
policies
for
the
development
, maintenance,
and
improvement
of
public
infrastructure
and
services
within
the
City
, including
government
buildings
,
education
facilities
, parks
and
recreation
facilities
, and
public
utilities
. These
facilities
can
both
serve
essential
safety
functions
and
must
be
resilient
to
known
hazards
. By
integrating
the
Public
Facilities
and
Public
Safety
Elements
, the
City
ensures
a
coordinated
approach
to
disaster
management
and
development
that
enhances
both
safety
and
infrastructure
resilience.

The
Community
Development
Element,
which
outlines
land
use
and
community
design
standards
,
must
incorporate
safety
measures
in
development
regulations
to
mitigate
hazards
as
identified
in
the
Public
Safety
Element.

This
ensures
that
existing
and
future
development
within
the
City
is
not
only
sustainable
and
well-designed
but
also
safe
and
resilient
against
the
various
hazards
identified
in
the
Public
Safety
Element.

The
Transportation
Element
sets
goals,
policies,
and
strategies
for
the
safe
and
efficient
use
of
current
transportation
facilities
and
the
development
of
new
ones.

It
assesses
existing
conditions
and
plans
improvements
for
roadways,
public
transit,
scenic
routes,
bikeways,
pedestrian
paths
,
and
trails.

Coordinated
transportation
and
safety
planning
enhance
emergency
response
capabilities
by
ensuring
safe
and
efficient
evacuation
routes
and
access
for
emergency
services
.

Together,
the
Transportation
and
Public
Safety
Elements
work
to
provide
a
safe
and
well­
coordinated
community
.

The
Natural
Resources
Element
focuses
on
conserving
and
managing
essential
resources
like
land,
water,
air
quality,
biological
resources,
and
open
space.

It establishes
policies
and
strategies
for
sustainable
development.

The
Public
Safety
Element
complements
this
by
mitigating
risks
from
hazards.

Effective
resource
management
supports
safety
by
reducing
vulnerabilities
to
hazards,
ensuring
a
resilient
and
sustainable
community.

The
Housing
Element
addresses
the
community's
housing
needs
by
setting
goals
and
strategies
for
developing
diverse
and
affordable
housing
. It
is
closely
related
to
the
Public
Safety
Element
,
which
mitigates
the
risks
from
hazards
to
housing
developments
and
the
population
. Together
,
they
ensure
housing
developments
are
safely
located
, designed
to
withstand
disasters,
and
include
provisions
for
emergency
preparedness
and
resilient
infrastructure,
fostering
a
safe
and
stable
community.

State
law
requires
that
the
Public
Safety
Element
be
updated
in
coordination
with
the
Housing
Element
update
. This
guarantees
that
both
elements
are
coordinated
and
address
present
and
future
risks,
including
those
associated
with
natural
hazards
and
climate
change.

The
City
of
Poway
Housing
Element
was
updated
in
2024,
triggering
the
requirement
to
update
the
Public
Safety
Element.

State
law
mandates
consistency
among
the
Elements
of
the
General
Plan
. Goals
and
policies
within
the
Public
Safety
Element
should
be
interpreted
and
implemented
in
alignment
with
the
goals
and
policies
of
other
General
Plan
elements
. To
ensure
this
consistency
, a
thorough
analysis
of
the
entire
document
was
conducted
. The
City
will
continue
to
ensure
that
the
Public
Safety
Element
remains
consistent
with
other
General
Plan
elements
, so
that
policies
introduced
in
one
element
are
consistent
with
those
in
others.

November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
1-4
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87 May 19, 2026, Item #14

2. Hazard Mitigation Plan
City of Poway
1 • Introduction
The City of Poway is a participating jurisdiction of the San Diego County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP). The Public Safety Element contains hazard mitigation and risk reduction strategies in coordination with the MJHMP. The City has adopted the MJHMP and specifically, the City of Poway Annex to the MJHMP4. The MJHMP serves as both a countywide plan and as a local plan to identify the primary hazards threatening the City and mitigation efforts to reduce the risk and/or impact associated with each hazard. The MJHMP enhances public awareness of hazards, creates a decision tool for the City, enhances local policies for hazard mitigation, and provides inter-jurisdictional coordination for hazard mitigation.

The San Diego County MJHMP and City of Poway Annex were developed in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (OMA 2000) and followed FEMA's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan guidance. The MJHMP incorporates a process where hazards are identified and profiled, the people and facilities at risk are analyzed, and mitigation actions are developed to reduce or eliminate hazard risk. The implementation of these mitigation actions, which include both short and long-term strategies, involves planning, policy changes, programs, projects, and other activities. The MJHMP is fully integrated into the Public Safety Element.

3. Community Wildfire Protection Plan
The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is developed in coordination with the Poway Fire Department by the Poway Fire Safe Council. The CWPP is a blueprint for wildfire preparedness at the neighborhood level to provide a cohesive risk reduction strategy which includes educating homeowners and businesses, ensuring defensible space and structure hardening, safeguarding communities through vegetative fuel management, and protecting evacuation corridors. The process of developing a CWPP can help the City of Poway identify priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure in the identified Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ).

4. Emergency Operations Plan
The City of Poway maintains an internal Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) which establishes the City's emergency management organization and provides for a coordinated, effective response to ensure the protection of life, property, and the environment. The Poway EOP is based on the County of San Diego Operational Area EOP. The City's EOP complements the Public Safety Element by ensuring that emergency response measures are integrated with broader safety objectives, enhancing the City's ability to manage and mitigate risks effectively and coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and the County of San Diego. 4 "Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan: City of Poway Annex." County of San Diego, 2023, https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/oes/emergency_management/HazMit/2023/2023%20City%20of%20Poway%20H az%20Mit%20Annex_Final.pdf.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14

5. Evacuation Routes
City of Poway
1 • Introduction
Evacuation planning is a dynamic process subject to the complexities presented by each disaster as it unfolds. The lead agency for evacuations is the San Diego Sheriff's Department through their contract for law enforcement; all evacuation decisions are made jointly with input from both fire and law enforcement personnel. The San Diego County EOP, Annex Q: Evacuation5 establishes a standard operating procedure for the effective evacuation of residents affected by a hazard event.

6. Public Outreach and Education
Empowering community members to prepare for hazards and take action during an emergency is a key element of emergency management. The Disaster Preparedness Coordinator has the primary responsibility for providing emergency preparedness and hazard mitigation information to the community with the support of the City of Poway Community Outreach Coordinator, the Poway Fire Prevention Division, and other public safety related organizations.

The City of Poway's website, poway.org, and social media accounts contain emergency preparedness resources for residents and businesses. The Poway Fire Department participates in community outreach and education events to increase engagement and awareness.

D. Concept of Risk
A hazard, natural or man-made, is the existence of specific conditions with the potential to cause harm. Risk is the likelihood of harm taking place over some span of time. Because risk is a function of chance, there is an inherent degree of uncertainty in using risk as a basis for land use planning.

However, when a hazard has been identified, policy decisions and programs incorporating or avoiding the risk may be developed. Risk-reduction measures can be implemented, and risk can become a framework for land use decision-making.

The basic objective of identifying hazards and evaluating risk is to reduce the loss of life and property damage to an "acceptable" level. It is not possible or completely practical to eliminate all risk to life or property. The Council of Intergovernmental Relations defines acceptable risk as "the level of risk below which no specific action by local government is deemed to be necessary other than making the risk known."
Every hazard has an associated element of risk. This risk has two aspects, the chance that the hazard will occur and that the mitigation efforts will be sufficient to reduce the impact of the hazard to a predetermined acceptable level.
5 "San Diego County Emergency Operations Plan: Annex Q Evacuations." Www.sandiegocounty.gov, https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/oes/emergency_management/plans/op-area­ plan/2022/EOP2022_Annex%20Q.pdf.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
E. Scope and Organization

1. Safety Element Scope Area
City of Poway
1 • Introduction
The provisions of this Public Safety Element apply to the entire City of Poway, constituting the scope or planning area of this element. The City of Poway covers 39.4 square-miles and is centrally located in western San Diego County. The City is bordered by the City of Escondido to the north, the City of San Diego to the south and west, and unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The City is located approximately 10 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and is characterized by broad mesas, canyons, and valleys. Notable topographic features within the City include Twin Peaks, Poway Creek, and Lake Poway, which contribute to its scenic landscape and outdoor recreational opportunities. Development within the City of Poway is primarily distributed throughout the central and western areas of the City amongst the canyons and valleys.

Development in these areas are characterized by rural residential and single-family residential land uses with interspersed commercial, public facility and planned community land uses. The foothills and mountainous areas in the north and eastern areas of the City are primarily open space and rural residential land uses. Custom estate housing has emerged as a prominent trend in rural residential and single-family residential land uses throughout the City, reflecting a growing demand for personalized, high-quality residences that offer expansive lots, architectural distinction, and tailored amenities to suit individual lifestyles. Land uses in the southern portion of the City primarily .include industrial, commercial and open space uses. The regional location and topographic make-up of the City expose Poway to the various natural and man-made hazards identified in this Public Safety Element including fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and landslides. Additionally, climate hazards have the potential to exacerbate many of these hazards.

2. Organization
This Public Safety Element relies on an analysis of existing conditions and potential natural and man-made hazards. Additionally, this analysis includes the various capacities of the City to mitigate or respond to these hazards. The analysis of hazards and capacities for mitigation and emergency response guides the goals, policies, and strategies of the Public Safety Element. Each identified topic covered throughout this document includes the following information:
• A background of existing conditions or capacities for mitigation/response • A discussion of various topical hazard risks
• A list of goals, policies, and strategies that mitigate hazard risk or improve resilience The following sections present this analysis in detail, along with the corresponding policy framework that guides the City of Poway's public safety planning efforts.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter 2
Law Enforcement Services
A. Background
The City of Poway receives its Law Enforcement Services through a contractual agreement with the San Diego County Sheriffs Department. A single Sheriff station is centrally located near other community resources including the Poway library, Poway Community Park, and City Hall.

Deputies operate under a unified command structure, allowing any deputy to respond to any situation within the City.

The Poway Sheriff's Station provides patrol, traffic, investigation, crime analysis, gang and narcotics enforcement, and crime prevention services. Ancillary services provided to the City include juvenile intervention, financial crimes, homicide, communication, information technology support, licensing, criminal intelligence and clerical support. Additional regional services provided by the Sheriffs Department include Sheriffs Bomb/Arson, Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies (ASTREA), Crime Laboratory, Property and Evidence, Search and Rescue, and the Special Enforcement Detail (SEO).

The mission of the Sheriffs Department is to provide the highest quality public safety service to everyone in San Diego County. The City of Poway continues to have one of the lowest crime rates within the County of San Diego and the State of California.

B. Crime Prevention
Deputies serving the City of Poway engage in a number of crime prevention activities to help suppress criminal incidents in the community and address quality of life issues.

1. Community Oriented Policing and Quality of Life Issues All patrol deputies are trained to implement Community Oriented Policing and address Quality of Life issues which requires regular interaction with neighborhood residents. Each patrol deputy is assigned to a geographical area allowing deputies to become familiar with the residents of their neighborhood and allowing for participation in Neighborhood Watch meetings and other educational events. This type of proactive law enforcement is essential for suppressing drug activity, vandalism, burglaries and gang development within the community.

Neighborhood Watch programs began in the City of Poway in 1987 and have been successfully instituted in many neighborhoods. Similar Business Watch programs have also been started by local merchants for the protection of commercial and industrial properties. Residents who are interested in creating a Neighborhood Watch program in their neighborhood or, are curious if one currently exists in their neighborhood, are encouraged to contact the Crime Prevention Specialist at the Poway Patrol Station.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
City of Poway
2 • Law Enforcement Services
Crime Prevention Specialists provide specific educational services to businesses, schools, senior citizens groups, religious institutions, youth organizations, and civic groups. These programs include residential and commercial security techniques, internet safety, vehicle theft prevention, robbery prevention, and keeping illegal activity out of rental property, among others.

2. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is recognized as an effective planning tool to help minimize or deter criminal activity. CPTED consists of four complementary strategies:
natural surveillance, access control, maintenance, and territorial reinforcement which encourages owners of private spaces to exercise control over their area. CPTED does not eliminate crime within a neighborhood, but it can dramatically reduce the likelihood of theft and other crimes.

It is the open interaction, participation and communication between citizens and law enforcement personnel that has led to maintaining low levels of crime in the City of Poway. The City should continue to encourage and support community programs which open the lines of communication on a regular basis, and which act as a mechanism to enhance neighborhood cohesiveness. In addition to these efforts, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department offers CPTED evaluations and guidance to residents and businesses. Through its Crime Prevention Unit, trained specialists provide tailored strategies to improve safety, reduce opportunities for crime, and enhance quality of life.

C. Law Enforcement ·and Land Use
Employing crime-preventive measures through land use or building design offers an opportunity to improve safety. One of the purposes of this Public Safety Element is to formally describe the importance of integrating crime-preventive design measures and clearly illustrate the function of this concept as part of the General Plan and development process.

Examples of recommended crime-preventive features for residential design include:
• Use of solid doors without glazing or with the glazed area being less than three inches wide to prevent breakage of the door windows in order to reach the door lock. • Windows should be located a sufficient distance from the door to prevent breakage of the glass and opening of the door from within.
• Standard exterior doors should be fitted with dead bolt locks with a minimum bolt length of one inch.
• Sliding glass windows should be secured with pointed thumb-turn locks, along with anti­ lift screws or clips on both sides of the top track of the sliding section of glass. • Buildings and their entries should be positioned to promote the feeling that the streets are an extension of the residents' territory.
• Landscaping, especially around windows, should be kept below window ledge level to prevent some from hiding while viewing or tampering with a window. Security plants with prickly leaves or thorns can be planted near windows to discourage access through windows. Tree canopies should be pruned from the ground up, creating a canopy of no lower than six feet from the ground.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
City of Poway
2 • Law Enforcement Services
• Open space or recreation areas should be centrally located so that they are visible from nearby homes.
• House numbers should be four inches in height on a contrasting background. They should be located on the house and on the curb or at the entrance to the driveway of each home.

Landscaping should never obscure, either totally or partially, the numbers and should always be kept in repair so they are legible. It is important to keep the numbers illuminated at night. Multi-family units should have three-foot numerals painted on each roof for easy identification by aerial support.
• Exterior lighting should be strategically placed to illuminate entryways, pathways, driveways, and other access points. Motion-activated or dusk-to-dawn lighting can deter criminal activity by increasing visibility and reducing hiding places. Light fixtures should be maintained to ensure consistent operation and avoid creating dark zones around the property.

Examples of recommended crime-preventive features for commercial design include:
• The number of entrances and exits to commercial buildings should be kept to a minimum, be well lit and be visible to the public and deputy patrols. • Walkways should be situated to generate enough traffic to provide a deterrent by virtue of the number of people using the path at all times.
• Avoid landscaping that might create blind spots or hiding places. • Adequate lighting should be provided along all streets, in parking lots, in landscape areas and around interior areas.
• Parking stalls should be laid out to permit maximum observation by patrol deputies, the public and parking lot attendants.

Business parks, places of worship and schools should have three-foot numerals painted on each roof for easy identification by aerial support.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter 3
Evacuation Planning
A. Background
Effective evacuation planning is an essential component of public safety and community resilience. In compliance with Government Code 65302(9), the Public Safety Element must address evacuation routes and related considerations to support safe, orderly and timely evacuation of residents during emergencies. Evacuation planning is a dynamic process subject to the complexities presented by each disaster. In the event of a significant emergency, designated routes and evacuation procedures are essential to facilitate the safe evacuation of community members and the movement of emergency responders and supplies. The lead agency for evacuations is the San Diego Sheriff's Department through their contract for law enforcement; all evacuation decisions are made jointly with input from both fire and law enforcement personnel.

The San Diego County EOP, Annex Q: Evacuation6, which can also be accessed here, outlines procedures, coordination protocols, and logistical strategies for a wide range of emergency scenarios throughout the County, including wildfire, dam failure, flood, earthquake, tsunami and terrorism. Additionally, the EOP provides detailed operational guidance including considerations for vulnerable populations, public communication, and training resources. Chapter 3 of the Public Safety Element references evacuation-related elements of the EOP as they pertain to the City of Poway. Although evacuation planning applies to multiple hazard scenarios, the Public Safety Element places a focused emphasis on evacuation planning related to wildfire hazards, as these represent the most likely scenarios requiring city-wide evacuation. This emphasis includes planning for the designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), where limited access, topographic constraints, and proximity to wildlands pose elevated risks.

This chapter summarizes the following key aspects of evacuation planning within the City of Poway:
• Identification of primary evacuation corridors, including potential capacity constraints; • Evaluation of neighborhood ingress and egress, with attention to evacuation bottlenecks and emergency vehicle access;
• Minimum standards for evacuation and emergency access in residential areas, including roadway design, signage, and defensible space requirements; • Considerations for at-risk populations, including those with limited mobility or access to transportation
Together, these components establish a foundational policy framework to support safe evacuation during wildfire and other emergency scenarios, with a focus on protecting residents in the most fire-prone areas of the City of Poway.
6 "San Diego County Emergency Operations Plan: Annex Q Evacuations." Www.sandiegocounty.gov, https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/oes/emergency_management/plans/op-area- plan/2022/EOP2022_Annex%20Q.pdf.

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
B.

Primary
Evacuation
Corridors
City
of
Poway
3 •
Evacuation
Planning
To
support
effective
emergency
response
and
large-scale
evacuations,
the
City
of
Poway
has
identified
a
network
of
primary
evacuation
corridors
that
serve
as
the
backbone
for
a
city-wide
evacuation
strategy.

These
designated
evacuation
corridors
are
the
most
reliable
roadway
facilities
based
on
their
regional
connectivity,
roadway
capacity,
and
accessibility
under
emergency
conditions
. The
primary
evacuation
corridors
identified
are
Espola
Road
from
its
intersection
with
Poway
Road
to
Rancho
Bernardo
Road,
Twin
Peaks
Road,
Poway
Road,
Scripps
Poway
Parkway,
and
Pomerado
Road.

Refer
to
Figure
3-1
for
identified
evacuation
routes. These
corridors
have
been
designated
in
coordination
with
the
San
Diego
Sheriff's
Office
(SOSO),
Caltrans,
California
Highway
Patrol
(CHP),
and
other
supporting
agencies
as
part
of
Annex
Q
of
the
San
Diego
County
EOP.

The
selection
of
these
routes
considers
various
operational
and
physical
criteria,
including:
•
Proximity
to
residential
population
centers;
•
Shortest
and
most
direct
evacuation
routes;
•
Maximum
roadway
capacity
and
potential
for
improved
traffic
flow
through
active
traffic
control
strategies;
•
Availability
of
real-time
communication
infrastructure,
such
as
changeable
message
signs
and
traffic
monitoring;
•
Minimization
of
bottlenecks
and
hazard-prone
infrastructure
(bridges,
tunnels,
and
lane
reductions);
•
Historical
use
and
observed
performance
during
prior
emergency
events.

Evacuation
routes
assessments
are
planning-level
exercises,
as
required
by
Government
Code
65302(g)
and
Assembly
Bill
747
(2019).

This
assessment
is
determined
based
on
assumed
conditions
rather
than
dynamic
or
event-specific
models;
however,
traffic
conditions
along
evacuation
routes
are
monitored
in
real-time
during
emergencies.

Operational
adjustments
such
as
directing
traffic
to
alternate
evacuation
corridors
are
implemented
as
conditions
evolve.

Tools
such
as
traffic
control
points,
law
enforcement
coordination,
and
public
communication
systems
are
employed
to
maximize
evacuation
efficiency
and
safety.

It
is
acknowledged
that
traffic
congestion
on
major
corridors
may
present
constraints
during
evacuation.

Annex
Q
of
the
San
Diego
County
EOP
identified
areas
of
Interstate
15 near
the
City
of
Poway
among
the
most
congested
segments
of
highways
during
the
morning
and
evening
commutes.

Primary
evacuation
corridors
serve
both
local
and
regional
needs
and
may
be
impacted
by
evacuations
of
adjacent
jurisdictions.

Thus,
regional
coordination
and
advanced
public
education
serve
as
essential tools
in
ensuring
effective
evacuation,
particularly
where
infrastructure constraints
limit
additional
routes.

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2025
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November 2025
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Figure 3-1
City of Poway
Evacuation Routes
City of
Escondido
City of Poway
3 • Evacuation Planning
Primary Evacuift1011 Route) -
Very High Fire Hazard Seventy Zone
High Fire: H :ord Severity Zone
ModerJtc fire Mazard Severity Zone
Po uav City limit-:. Cl
1NiJtcrbod1C~
Freew;1ys
Ma1orRoads
lOCdl Ro:;d~
County of
San Diego
Public Safety Element I Page 3-3
May 19, 2026, Item #14
C. Neighborhood Ingress and Egress
City of Poway
3 • Evacuation Planning
Ensuring adequate neighborhood ingress and egress is critical for maintaining public safety during wildfire and other hazard events that may require evacuation. State law requires local jurisdictions to evaluate whether neighborhoods, particularly those in the VHFHSZ, have sufficient access for both resident evacuation and emergency access. Specifically, Government Code 65302(9) and Senate Bill 99 (2019) require that cities identify neighborhoods in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes.

Additionally, Title 14, California Code of Regulations (CCR), Division 1.5, Chapter 7, Subchapter 2, Articles 2 and 3, govern minimum road widths, grade, surface conditions, and access for emergency vehicles in areas where the local government is responsible for wildfire protection and emergency response. These regulations emphasize the need for all-weather access, minimum turnarounds, and unobstructed roadways to ensure safe evacuation and emergency access.

Neighborhoods that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes, and areas that do not meet minimum road standards may experience delays in the event of an evacuation, which underscores the need for careful evacuation planning and efficient alerting of wildfire.

The word Poway, generally translated as "the meeting of the little valleys", has a dynamic geography that brings together varying residential communities, agricultural properties and ranches. The varying terrain includes valleys, canyons, knolls and large open space areas that have created some residential areas with limited access. Residential areas with limited access include neighborhoods branching from Valle Verde Road, Old Coach Road, High Valley Road, Garden Road, and the westernmost residences of Del Poniente Road. Refer to Figure 3-2 for areas identified as having Limited Access Roads.

While residents are encouraged to know two ways out of their neighborhood, this may not always be possible in areas with limited access. Recognizing that the addition of new evacuation routes in established neighborhoods may be limited by various constraints, the City will prioritize evacuation planning in areas with limited access in terms of roadway standards including road widths, surfaces, grades, radii, turnarounds, turnouts, driveways, dead end roads, and gate entrances.

1. Minimum Standards for Evacuation and Emergency Access As noted above, the State of California has established minimum fire safety standards through Title 14 of the CCR, Division 1.5, Chapter 7, Subchapter 2. These regulations apply to Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs) in the designated VHFHSZ and serve as the baseline for evaluating new development and assessing existing neighborhoods in hazard zones. This Public Safety Element incorporates the following key provisions:

Article 2 -Emergency Access
This article defines the minimum design standards for roads intended to provide emergency access to new development. Some requirements may include:

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May 19, 2026, Item #14
City of Poway
3 • Evacuation Planning
• A mInImum unobstructed roadway width of 20 feet, excluding shoulders, to allow simultaneous ingress and egress of emergency vehicles and evacuees; • Vertical clearances of 13 feet, six inches (13' 6");
• All-weather surface conditions capable of supporting the weight of fire apparatus; • Roadway grades not to exceed 16 percent, with turnarounds and turnouts required where appropriate;
• Limitations of dead-end roads, with maximum allowable lengths depending on the number of dwelling units served and topographic conditions.

Article 3 -Signing and Building Numbering
This article ensures that roads and structures are clearly identified to facilitate timely emergency response. Key requirements include:
• Posting of road names at intersections and at intervals along roadways; • Address numbers for buildings that are visible from the roadway and made of non­ combustible, contrasting materials;
• Signage that remains legible in smoky or low-visibility conditions.

Together these regulations form the state's baseline expectations for safe roadway design in fire hazard zones. These requirements apply primarily to new development. In addition, this Safety Element provides a program for planning and prioritizing brining existing neighborhoods with limited access into compliance with these standards, particularly areas within the VHFHSZ.

Additional mitigation measures will continue to be evaluated for use in neighborhoods with limited access including the creation or improvement of fire roads, access through secured gates, increased requirements for defensible space, assistance with structural hardening, or vegetative fuel management projects. These strategies, along with public education and strategic planning, support the goals of the City of Poway to enhance safety and emergency response for all residents.

D. At-Risk Populations
Effective evacuation planning should consider at-risk individuals who may face additional challenges during emergencies. This includes people with disabilities, such as mobility, sensory, cognitive, or mental health conditions. Additionally, older adults, individuals with chronic illnesses, persons with limited English proficiency, and lower-income residents may need additional support to evacuate safely. These individuals may require accessible transportation, medical equipment, caregiver assistance, or clear, multi-format communication during an evacuation. Recognizing these needs, the San Diego Sheriff's Department coordinates with other relevant agencies and emergency responders to improve preparedness and response efforts for at-risk populations.

Detailed procedures for identifying and assisting at-risk individuals are included in Annex Q of the San Diego County EOP and outlines responder training and communication strategies to ensure inclusive evacuation operations. The City remains committed to reducing evacuation barriers and ensuring that all residents, regardless of ability or circumstance, are protected during emergencies.

November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 3-5
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May 19, 2026, Item #14
Figure
3-2
City
of
Poway
City
of
Poway
3 •
Evacuation
Planning
Neighborhoods
with
Fewer
than
Two
Points
of
Egress
City
of
Escond
ido
O.ta
SOutees
· City
of
PO'h~V:

SonGIS,
CAL
FIRE
limit
ed
Access
Road
s
-
Vety
Mlgh
fir
Haza
rd
Severity
Zone
Hi
gh
Fir
e
Hazard
Severity
Zo
ne
Mo
derate
fire
H3z
ard
Severity
Zone
Poway
City
lim
its
C
Watc
rba
dies
Freeways
GI
Coun
ty
or
San
Diego

0.5 Majo;
Ro.ids
loca
l Roads

1.5 N A
Mil
as
Thti
mop
prov
ided
without
wurnnty
of
any
kind,
eichcr
cxpreSl
or
impll~.
lnduding
but
not
Omlted
to,
tho
implied
warrnntins
of
mcrchant.ubHlty
and
fitne!is for
a partm.itar
purpOioC
Thi!.
mop
hos
been
ptcpa,ed
for
dt4"...et.,cvc
purposes.
only
and
its
Dcc.urucy
c.s:nnot
be
guaranteed.

Ul1t
Revised
: S/30/2O2.5
November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
3-0
26 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter
4 Fire
Hazards
A.

Background Fire
protection
and
suppression
services
are
provided
to
the
community
by
the
Poway
Fire
Department.

The
mission
of
the
Fire
Department
is
to
reduce
the
loss
of
life
and
property
from
fire,
medical,
and
environmental
emergencies
through
education,
hazard
reduction,
and
response. The
Fire
Department
maintains
a
robust
fire
safety
and
training
program
that
includes
three
fire
stations,
two
classrooms
,
and
a
fire
training
tower
to
support
manipulative
training
and
professional
development
for
first
responders
and
staff
. The
Fire
Department
operates
through
five
functional
divisions:
fire
administration
,
fire
suppression,
emergency
medical
services
,
fire
prevention,
and
disaster
preparedness
.

At
the
time
the
Public
Safety
Element
was
written,
the
City
of
Poway
Fire
Department
consists
of
58 employees
including
51 firefighters
who
staff
four
fire
apparatus
and
two
ambulances
daily
.

All
firefighters
are
trained
in
advanced
life
support
and
certified
in
defibrillation
. Most
emergency
responses
in
the
City
of
Poway
are
medical
emergencies,
traffic
accidents,
and
wildland
fires
.

Details
on
the
Poway
Fire
Department
deployment
are
available
in
Table
4-1
.

As
fire
and
rescue
facilities
and
equipment
continue
to
age,
new
investments
should
be
considered
to
support
changing
growth
patterns
and
to
maintain
levels
of
service
to
ensure
public
safety
. The
need
for
additional
or
expanded
fire
stations
will
be
evaluated
through
community
plan
updates
and
amendments
as
needed
. As
growth
occurs,
the
City
of
Poway
will
assess
the
need
for
new
or
expanded
fire
protection
facilities
to
maintain
acceptable
levels
of
service.

The
siting
of
new
development
will
be
coordinated
with
fire
service
capabilities,
and
response
time
standards
will
guide
the
placement
of
additional
facilities
where
needed
.

Development
impact
fees
from
new
construction
help
fund
necessary
fire
infrastructure
and
equipment
to
support
service
demands
associated
with
growth
.

While
the
City
does
not
currently
operate
an
active
Volunteer
or
Reserve
Firefighter
Program,
such
program
has
been
used
in
the
past
and
may
be
reconsidered
in
the
future
. The
Community
Emergency
Response
Team
(CERT)
supports
city-wide
emergency
preparedness
efforts
through
education,
communication,
and
community
outreach,
and
provides
auxiliary
support
to
first
responders.

November
2025
Public
Safety
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27 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
891 Chevrolet Suburban E91 Type
I Engine
ALS BR91 Type
Ill
Engine
M91 Medic Ambulance
ALS
WT91 Type
I Water
Tender November
2025
28 of
87 Table
4-1
Battalion
Chief
vehicle
staffed
with
one
Fire
Battalion
Chief.

Capable
of
managing
incident
command
systems
and
various
emergency
incidents
.

City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
Fire
engine
staffed
with
one
Fire
Captain,
one
Fire
Engineer
and
one
Firefighter,
all
paramedics
. Holds
500
gallons
of
water
, fire
hose,
medical
equipment
and
tools.

Wildland
fire
engine
cross-staffed
with
one
Fire
Captain
, one
Fire
Engineer
and
one
Firefighter,
all
paramedics
. Holds
600
gallons
of
water,
wild
land
fire
hose,
tools
and
has
4x4
off
road
capabilities
.

Ambulance
staffed
with
two
Firefighter
Paramedics
. Capable
of
providing
advanced
life
support
. Equ
ipped
with
firefighting
gear
for
fire
response
.

Water
Tender
may
be
up
staffed
with
one
Fire
Engineer
and
holds
3,000
gallons
of
water
. Also
carries
a
small
amount
of
hose,
nozzles,
and
fittings
.

Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-2
May 19, 2026, Item #14
E92
Type I Engine
ALS
BR92
Type Ill Engine
OES 421
November 2025
29 of 87
Fire engine staffed with one Fire Captain,
one Fire Engineer and one Firefighter, all
paramedics. Holds 500 gallons of water, fire
hose, medical equipment, and tools.

Wildland fire engine cross-staffed with one
Fire Captain, one Fire Engineer and one
Firefighter, all paramedics. Holds 600
gallons of water, wild land fire hose, tools
and has 4x4 off road capabilities.

City of Poway
4 • Fire Hazards
California Office of Emergency Services Type I fire engine to be up-staffed for regional response with one Fire Captain, one Fire Engineer and one Firefighter, all paramedics. Holds 800 gallons of water, fire hose, rescue equipment, medical equipment, and tools.

Public Safety Element I Page 4-3
May 19, 2026, Item #14
T93 Aerial
Ladder
TruckALS E93 Type
I Engine
ALS BR93 Type
Ill
Engine
M93 Medic Ambulance
ALS
November
2025
30 of
87 Fire
truck
staffed
with
one
Fire
Captain,
one
Fire
Engineer
and
one
Firefighter
, all
paramedics.

Is
equipped
with
a
107ft
aerial
ladder
and
holds
extrication
tools
and
other
specialized
equipment.

City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
Fire
engine
staffed
with
one
Fire
Captain,
one
Fire
Engineer
and
one
Firefighter,
all
paramedics.

Holds
500
gallons
of
water,
fire
hose,
medical
equipment
and
tools
.

Wildland
fire
engine
cross-staffed
with
one
Fire
Captain
, one
Fire
Engineer
and
one
Firefighter,
all
paramedics
. Holds
600
gallons
of
water,
wildland
fire
hose
, tools
and
has
4x4
off
road
capabilities
.

Ambulance
staffed
with
two
Firefighter
Paramedics.

Capable
of
providing
advanced
life
support
and
basic
life
support
.

Equipped
with
firefighting
gear
for
fire
response.

Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-4
May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
-----------------------------------Training
Tower
12335
Crosthwaite
Circle
The
City
of
Poway
Fire
Training
Tower
and drill
area
surrounding
the
tower
occupies
just
over
one-acre.

The
five-story
fire
training
tower
consists
of
the
latest
systems
creating
"hands-on"
training
scenarios
for
Poway
firefighters.
•
Five
stories
of
varying
floor
plans
with
interior
and
exterior
stairways
•
Specialized
burn
room
for
"live
fires"
•
Rooftop
ventilation
prop
•
Below-ground
cistern
with
65,000
gallons
of
water
supplying
on-site
fire
hydrants
•
Water
collection
system
with
ozone
filtration
and
treatment
•
Fire
sprinkler
system
and
standpipe
system with
fire
department
connections
• A
"safe
smoke"
delivery
system
with
red
lighting
to
simulate
"safe"
fire
scenarios
•
Multiple
anchor
points
throughout
for
technical
rope
rescue
training
•
Prop
area
for
specialized
training
•
Fire
equipment storage
room
•
Large
drill
ground
area
for
hose
and
ladder
evolution
November
2025
Public
Safety
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31 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
lnteragency
Coordination
and
Mutual
and
Automatic
Aid
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
The
Poway
Fire
Department
collaborates
with
other
neighboring
cities
and
fire
district
departments
including
, the
San
Diego
County
Fire
Protection
District,
Lakeside
Fire
Protection
District,
CAL
FIRE,
and
San
Diego
Fire
Rescue
to
provide
structural
and
vegetation
fire
suppression,
confined
space
rescue,
open
space
rescue
,
high
angle
rescue,
response
to
hazardous
material
incidents,
mass
casualty
incidents,
and
incidents
involving
terrorism
and
weapons
of
mass
destruction
.

The
City
of
Poway's
service
capacities
are
augmented
by
maintaining
automatic
aid
agreements
with
surrounding
jurisdictions
as
well
as
participating
in
the
California
State
Fire
&
Rescue
Mutual
Aid
System
and
FEMA's
Urban
Area
Search
&
Rescue.

Automatic
aid
is
facilitated
by
the
Regional
Communication
Interoperability
Project
(RCIP)
which
allows
for
the
dispatch
of
the
closest,
most
appropriate
fire
apparatus
to
an
emergency,
regardless
of
jurisdiction.

All
fire
dispatch
centers
utilize
automatic
vehicle
locators
to
determine
the
closest
fire
or
emergency
medical
services
resource
to
the
emergency.

The
Poway
Fire
Department
is
a
member
of
the
Metro
Zone
of
the
San
Diego
County
Operational
Area
and
partners
with
fire
departments
from
San
Diego
City,
MCAS
Miramar
, City
of
Chula
Vista
,
National
City,
City
of
Coronado,
City
of
Imperial
Beach,
and
U.S
. Navy
Federal.

Poway
also
participates
in
the
California
Master
Mutual
Aid
Plan
to
assist
agencies
throughout
the
state
with
major
emergencies.

The
Poway
Fire
Department
also
participates
in
the
Multi-Year
Training
and
Exercise
Plan
(MTEP)
for
the
San
Diego
Urban
Area
(SDUA)
. The
purpose
of
the
MTEP
is
to
provide
a
companion
document
to
the
SDUA
Homeland
Security
Strategy
. This
is
the
roadmap
for
the
SDUA
to
follow
in
accomplishing
the
priorities
described
in
the
Homeland
Security
Strategy.

The
training
and
exercise
schedule
included
in
the
MTEP
helps
prepare
the
region
and
the
city
to
address
the
natural
and
technical
hazards
it faces.

The
training
and
exercise
programs
are
jointly
administered
by
the
City
of
San
Diego's
Office
of
Emergency
Services
and
the
County
of
San
Diego
Office
of
Emergency
Services
in
coordination
with
the
Unified
Disaster
Council,
Urban
Area
Working
Group,
and
local
emergency
response
agencies.

8. Structure
and
Urban
Fires
The
Poway
Fire
Department
has been
classified
as
a
Class
1/1X
department
by
the
Insurance
Services
Organization's
(ISO)
Public
Protection
Classification
program
. ISO's
Public
Protection
Classification
program
measures
and
evaluates
the
effectiveness
of
structure
fire-mitigation
services
in
communities
throughout
the
country.

For
each
fire
protection
area,
ISO
assigns
a
Public
Protection
Classification
code
- a
number
from
1 to

10. Class
1 represents
exemplary
fire
protection
and
water
supply
; Class
10 indicates
that
the
area's
fire-suppression
program
does
not
meet
ISO's
minimum
criteria
. The
split
classification
includes
a 1 X
representing
areas
of
the
City
of
Poway
that
are
located
greater
than
1000
' from
a fire
hydrant
and/or
greater
than
5 miles
from
a fire
station.

November
2025
Public
Safety
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32 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14

1. Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement
City of Poway
4 • Fire Hazards
The Fire Prevention Division is responsible for reviewing land use and planning proposals to ensure they are consistent with the Poway Municipal Code which has adopted the California Fire Code with amendments. New development and permitted modifications require that structures meet current code requirements including those specific to Fire Hazard Severity Zones.

Fire Prevention personnel conduct fire and life-safety inspections of businesses, multifamily residential occupancies, educational, institutional, and permitted facilities. This includes the fire safety clearance inspections of preschools and licensed facilities assigned by the State's Community Care Licensing Division. Additional fire and life-safety inspections of low-hazard businesses are performed by firefighters as a part of the Fire Company Inspection Program which is managed by the Fire Prevention Division. Collectively, the City of Poway Fire Department performs annual fire and life-safety inspections of all state-mandated occupancies and of all non­ residential occupancies. In addition to inspections, the Fire Department issues operational and construction-related fire permits for activities and installations regulated under the California Fire Code, such as flammable liquid storage, fire protection systems, and special event structures.

The Fire Marshal also conducts plan reviews for both entitlement and ministerial projects to ensure compliance with fire and life-safety standards prior to permit issuance.

2. Water Supply
The City of Poway prepared the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (2020 UWMP) pursuant to the Urban Water Management Planning Act. The 2020 UWMP serves as the long-term document that will help to ensure the City can provide reliable water supplies through 2045. The City supplies 90 percent of its water to residential customers within the service area. The City's service area is mostly developed, and the City's population is only expected to increase by four percent over the next 25 years. The 2020 UWMP projects a 25 percent increase in water demand by 2045, from the 2020 fiscal year demands.

The UWMP states that no water shortages are projected under any of the hydrologic scenarios that were evaluated. The scenarios that were evaluated include normal water water-year, single dry-year, and multiple dry-year. Furthermore, the San Diego County Water Authority's (SDCWA) 2020 Urban Water Management Plan indicates that there would be sufficient imported and stored water to meet the future demand of its member agencies under the different hydraulic scenarios.

Meaning, if necessary, Poway could purchase additional supplies from the SDWCA to meet increased water demands.

The City of Poway purchases its imported raw water from the San Diego County Water Authority.

The purchased water is then transported to either Lake Poway for temporary storage or the Berglund Water Treatment Plant (WTP) for treatment into potable drinking water. Once treated at the Berglund WTP, the potable water leaves two 4 million gallon clearwell tanks and enters the distribution system through a series of pipes and pump stations. The distribution system spans 14 pressure zones that are connected through approximately 267 miles of lines. Potable water storage in the distribution system is provided by 18 reservoirs ranging in capacity from 0.010 to November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 4-7
33 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards

2.5 million
gallons
and
exist
to
maintain
adequate
supply
during
peak
demand,
for
fire
flow,
or
other
emergencies.

The
reservoirs
also
provide
pressure
within
the
distribution
system.

Poway's
potable
water
system
covers
close
to
two-thirds
of
the
City's
jurisdictional
boundary
with
the
remainder
generally
involving
undeveloped
lands
designated
for
very
low
density
and
residential
development
along
the
eastern
perimeter.

The
Fire
Department
uses
water
from
the
potable
system
to
fight fires
in
those
areas
with
coverage.

Extension
of
water
lines
is
required
when
warranted
by
project
proponents.

If
development
is
considered
in
areas
outside
of
the
municipal
water
system
coverage
area,
water
storage
tanks
are
required
as
an
alternative
to
connecting
to
the
water
system.

The
water
storage
tanks
must
be
appropriately
sized
based
on
the
size
of
the
dwelling
unit
as
stipulated
in
Title
15 of
the
Poway
Municipal
Code.

The
Fire
Department
will
utilize
the
water
storage
tanks
to
suppress
fires
at
these
properties
.

C.

Wildland
Fires
Planning
for
wildland
fires
is
essential
in
southern
California
and
in
the
City
of
Poway
where
wildfires
are
a
constant
threat
and
have
a
history
of
causing
destruction
in
the
community.

San
Diego
County
has
seen
significant
fires
in
recent
history
including
the
2020
Valley
Fire,
which
burned
nearly
17,000
acres
in
Cleveland
National
Forest,
and
the
2021
Southern
Fire
which
burned
over
5,000
acres.

The
two
worst
wildfires
in
San
Diego
County
history
which
impacted
the
City
of
Poway
are
the
2003
Cedar
Fire
which
burned
over
270,000
acres
and
the
2007
Witch
Creek
Fire
which
burned
nearly
200,000
acres.

The
City's
climate,
vegetation,
topography,
and
large
amount
of
open
space
makes
wildfire
one
of
the top
hazards
present.

Wild
land
fires
pose
a
high
risk
to
the
community
because
they
are
more
difficult
to
control
and
suppress
and
can
rapidly
spread
due
to
adverse
climatic
conditions.

The
potential
risk
for
a
wildland
fire
to
impact
the
City
is
typically
greater
during
the
late
summer
and
fall
months
when
Santa
Ana
winds
bring
hot
and
dry
air
from
the
east.

These
winds
can
rapidly
push
a
wildland
fire
from
the
open
space
areas
in
the
east,
westward
into
the
City
and
the
more
developed
areas.

1. Wildland
Fire
Jurisdiction
There
currently
exists
three
classifications
of
responsibility
areas
in
California.

Local
Responsibility
Area
(LRA),
State
Responsibility
Area
(SRA),
and
Federal
Responsibility
Area
(FRA).

Local
Responsibility
Areas
(LRA)
are
areas
where
the
local
government
is
responsible
for
wildfire
protection.

State
Responsibility
Areas
(SRA)
are
areas
where
CAL
FIRE
is
the
primary
emergency
response
agency
responsible
for
fire
suppression
and
prevention.

Federal
Responsibility
Areas
(FRA)
are
under
federal
ownership,
and
the
federal
government
is
responsible
for
wildfire
protection.

The
City
of
Poway
is
entirely
within
the
Local
Responsibility
Area
(LRA)
for
Wildland
Fire,
meaning
that
the
Poway
Fire
Department
has
the
sole
responsibility
for
the
mitigation
and
suppression
of
wildland
fires
within
the
City.

To
meet
this
responsibility,
the
Poway
Fire
Department
maintains
one
Type
Ill
Wildland
Fire
Engine
at
each
of
the
three
Fire
Stations
.

There
is
no
State
Responsibility
Area within
the
city
limits,
however
the
City
of
Poway
is
bordered
on
the
east
by
State
Responsibility
Area
(SRA)
protected
by
CAL
FIRE
San
Diego
Unit.

The
Poway
Fire
Department
has
entered
a
Mutual
Threat
Zone
(MTZ)
agreement
with
CAL
FIRE
to
November
2025
Public
Safety
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34 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City of Poway
4 • Fire Hazards
provide efficient and cohesive initial scene actions between all first responders and communication centers. This agreement allows CAL FIRE resources to respond immediately to a wildland fire on the border between the LRA and SRA. All fire resources responding to wildland fires in the MTZ will respond on and utilize the assigned VHF radio frequency for the incident and will communicate with CAL FIRE San Diego Unit's Emergency Command Center (ECC) "San Diego". San Diego ECC will serve as the unified ordering point (UOP) for resource orders, evacuations, and FMAG requests for any wildland fire in the MTZ.

There is no Federal Responsibility Area (FRA) within the city limits. The nearest area of Federal Responsibility is 0.5 miles to the south of Poway at MCAS Miramar. In alignment with regional planning efforts, the City of Poway participates in the San Diego County MJHMP, which was revised in 2023. This plan identifies wildfire as a key hazard and outlines strategies for risk reduction and inter-agency coordination. Additionally, a revised California Wildland Urban Interface Code (CWUIC) is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. This updated code will enhance building and land-use standards in fire-prone areas, further supporting the City of Poway's efforts to mitigate wildfire risks and improve community resilience.

2. Fire Hazard Severity Zone
The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) mapping for Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) in March 2025. These zones were developed using a standard geospatial model based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and wind exposure. The Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) designations identify areas with the highest long­ term potential for extreme wildfires. It is important to note that these designations assess hazard only and do not reflect mitigation efforts or preparedness levels.

Approximately seventy-five percent of Poway's jurisdictional area falls within the designated VHFHSZ. These areas include a mix of undeveloped open space, hillside terrain, residential neighborhoods, utility infrastructure and community facilities. Land uses within the VHFHSZ include various residential and commercial uses, as well as public facilities and open space uses.

Additionally, several critical facilities are located within the VHFHSZ including Pomerado Hospital, Poway Fire Station #1, Poway Fire Station #2, Poway Fire Station #3, and various infrastructure systems and educational facilities.

The City of Poway has adopted the Fire Hazard Severity Zones by ordinance and has identified additional wild land urban interface areas that must meet the stricter requirements of the CWUIC.

Adopted in July 2025 by the City Council, the CWUIC will strengthen building and land-use standards in fire hazard severity zones by enhancing requirements for defensible space, fire­ resistant construction, and accessibility for emergency response. These improvements align with the City of Poway's ongoing efforts to reduce wildfire risks and bolster community resilience.

To minimize wildfire risk and ensure public safety, the City enforces a range of development and land use regulations within the VHFHSZ. These include, but not limited to:
• Siting new essential critical facility development, such as hospitals and emergency services, outside of the VHFHSZ whenever feasible;
November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 4-9
35 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
•
Requiring
Fire
Protection
Plans,
including
vegetation
management
and
defensible
space,
for
new
development
within
the
VHFHSZ;
•
Ensuring
compliance
with
ingress
and
egress
standards
for
emergency
vehicle
access
and
evacuations;
•
Requiring
visible
street
signage
and
home
addressing
to
support
emergency
response;
•
Applying
additional
site
design,
landscaping,
and
maintenance
requirements
for
development
in
the
VHFHSZ
as
applicable
.

The
adopted
Very
High
Fire
Hazard
Severity
Zone
is
displayed
in
Figure
4-1
and
the
current
land
use
designation
and
emergency
services
facilities
within
the
VHFHSZ
are
displayed
in
Figure
4-

2. November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-10
36 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
L~ke Hodges
Rar.cho
Bernardo
• Cityof
San Diego
Carmel
Mou:mall1
l~dl"Ch
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Figure 4-1
Data sources City of Poway, SanGIS
City of Poway
4 • Fire Hazards
Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone •
Hleh Fire Hazard Severity Zone
Moderat~ Fire Hazard Severity Zane
Poway City limits C
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37 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
Figure
4-2
City
of
Poway
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
Fire
Hazard
Severity
Zones
and
Land
Use
l•kc
Hodges
Pancho Bernardo
If
Cltyof
San
Diego
Data
Sources
Coy
of
Poway,
SanGIS
Ver,.·
Hieh
Fire
Hazard
Se
ver
ity
Zone
□
Hi
eh
fi
re
Hil
z.)r
d
Severi
t~· Zone
Mo
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Fire
Hazard
Se
ver
ity
Zone
Commercial
•
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Campu
s
Publi
c Fac
ility
Op
en Space
Rec
rc
at10n
Open
Space
Re~ourc
e
Manage
ment
Planne
d
Community Re
side
nti
al
County
of
San
Diego

0.5 Rural
Resid
ential
Pow3y
City
Lim
its
C
Waterbodies
Free
ways
■
Major
Roa
ds
Local
Road,
N A

1.5 ■--==---=
==
=--•
Mil
er
This
map
provided
without
warranty
cf
any
kind,
either
express
or
1mplled,
1ndudmg
but
not
limn:ed
to
, the
imp
rrect
wanannes
of
merehantab
1!1ty
and
fitness
for
a parncufar
purpose
Th~
map
has
been
prepared
for
descnpn
ve pu~
only
and
,ts
accuracy
cannot
be
guaranteed
l.a5t
RevJSed.
11/17/2025
November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-12
38 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards

3. Wildland
Fire
History
San
Diego
County
has
a
long
history
with
wild
land
fire,
much
of
which
has
impacted
the
City
of
Poway.

The
most
notable
fires
in
the
County's
history
are
the
2003
Cedar
Fire
and
the
2007
Witch
Fire
. As
of
2025,
these
are
still
two
of
the
largest
fires
ever
experienced
in
the
State
of
California.

Both
resulted
in
property
damage
and
destruction
in
the
City
of
Poway.

In
October
of
2003,
the
Cedar
Fire
ignited
in
the
Cuyamaca
.Mountains
approximately
20 miles
east
of
Poway
. Strong
Santa
Ana
winds
pushed
the
fire
to
the
west
into
the
Barona
Indian
Reservation,
the
unincorporated
community
of
Lakeside,
and
then
into
the
City
of
Poway.

Approximately
7,000
acres
were
burned
within
the
city
limits,
and
54 structures
were
destroyed.

A
map
of
the
Cedar
Fire
Perimeter
is
displayed
as
Figure
4-3.

In
October
of
2007,
the
Witch
Creek
Fire
ignited
northeast
of
Poway
near
the
unincorporated
community
of
Santa
Ysabel.

Strong
Santa
Ana
winds
pushed
the
fire
to
the
southwest
spreading
into
the
unincorporated
community
of
Ramona,
the
City
of
Escondido,
the
City
of
Poway,
and
the
Rancho
Bernardo
neighborhood
of
San
Diego
City.

Within
the
City
of
Poway,
this
major wildfire
event
burned
approximately
7,247
acres
and
destroyed
90 single-family
homes.

Approximately
7,000
residents
were evacuated
with
Poway
High
School
being
initially
established
as
an
evacuation
center
but
closing
11 hours
later
due
to
poor
air
quality.

City
disaster
workers
then
opened
the
Poway
Community
Center
as
the
main
evacuation
site
for
the
area.

Approximately
300
residents
took
refuge
at
the
community
center,
which
closed
three
days
later.

A
map
of
the
Witch
Creek
Fire
Perimeter
is
displayed
as
Figure
4-4.

4. Wildland
Fire
Community
Risk
Reduction
The
Wildland
Fire
Leadership
Council
has
established
a
National
Cohesive
Wildland
Fire
Management
Strategy
to
encourage
collaboration
amongst
stakeholders
and
across
landscapes.

The
cohesive
pre-fire
strategy
includes
creating
resilient
landscapes,
fire
adapted
communities,
and
a safe
and
effective
wildfire
response
to
reduce
the
risk
of
wildland
fire
to
people
and
property.

The
City
of
Poway's
approach
to
wildland
fire
community
risk
reduction
includes
many
of
the
concepts
outlined
in
the
National
Cohesive
Strategy.

Community
Wildfire
Protection
Plan
In
alignment
with
the
goals
of
the
National
Cohesive
Wildland
Fire
Management
Strategy,
the
City
of
Poway
has
developed
a
Community
Wildfire
Protection
Plan
(CWPP)
in
collaboration
with
the
Poway
Fire
Department,
the
Poway
Fire
Safe
Council,
and
other
regional
partners.

The
CWPP
serves
as
a
strategic
framework
to
prioritize
wildfire
mitigation
efforts,
guide
fuel
reduction
treatments,
improve
evacuation
planning,
and
coordinate
community
outreach
and
education
.

The
planning
process
engaged
local
stakeholders
and
incorporated
input
to
identify
vulnerable
areas,
critical
infrastructure,
and
effective
risk
reduction
strategies
.

Wild/and
Fire
Pre-Plans
The
Poway
Fire
Department
collaborated
with
the
San
Diego
County
Office
of
Emergency
Services
to
develop
a
comprehensive
mapping
and
risk
assessment
for
high
priority
Wildland
November
2025
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39 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
Urban
Interface
(WUI)
areas
in
the
City
of
Poway.

The
WUI
refers
to
areas
where
human
development
meets
or
intermingles
with
wildland
vegetation,
creating
heightened
vulnerability
to
wildfire
due
to
proximity
to
flammable
fuels.

The
Wildland
Fire
Pre-Plans
provide
recommended
strategies
and
tactics
for
suppression,
evacuation,
and
the
protection
of
critical
infrastructure.

November
2025
Public
Safety
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40 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Rancho E,em;;;rdo
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San
Diego
Carme
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Figure
4-3
City
of
Poway
Cedar
Fire
Perimeter
Cityo Escond
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s·'JI
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0 City
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4 •
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County
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2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-15
41 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Cormd
Mountan1
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Figure 4-4
City of Poway
Witch Fire Perimeter
City of
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4 • Fire Hazards
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42 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
Vegetation
Management
and
Defensible
Space
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
After
the
2007
Witch
Fire,
the
City
implemented
a
Vegetation
Management
Program
to
reduce
the
concentration
of
highly
flammable
native
vegetation
in
close
proximity
to
structures.

The
goal
of
the
vegetation
management
program
is
to
slow the
spread
or
reduce
the
intensity
of
wildfire
to
lessen
the
impact
on
the
community.

This
program
continues
to
identify
strategic
locations
for
community
level
vegetation
management
including
fuel
reduction
along
evacuation
routes
or
in
neighborhoods
with
limited
egress.

Other
components
of
the
program
focus
on
the
individual
property
owner
responsibility
to
maintain
ornamental
vegetation
and
create
defensible
space.

The
City's
Landscape
&
Irrigation
Design
Manual
outlines
vegetative
fuel
management
requirements
applicable
to
parcels
within
the
Very
High
Fire
Hazard
Severity
Zone
(VHFHSZ).

New
development
or
any
permitted
modification
of
existing
structures
is
required
to
comply
with
these
requirements.

The
manual
defines
vegetative
fuel
management
as
the
strategic
reduction
and
maintenance
of
combustible
vegetation
to
minimize
wildfire
risk.

It
establishes
general
requirements
including
the
preparation
of
Vegetative
Fuel
Management
Plans,
installation
of
fuel
modification
zones,
appropriate
plant
selection
and
removal,
and
tree
pruning
standards.

Landscape
design
and
maintenance
must
adhere
to
specifications
for
two
fuel
modification
zones-Zone
A
(closest
to
structures)
and
Zone
B
(transitional
buffer)-with
expanded
requirements
for
areas
exceeding
100
feet
from
buildings.

The
manual
also
includes
plant
reference
tables
identifying
undesirable
species,
fire-resistant
alternatives,
and
erosion
control
guidance
for
sloped
terrain.

In
addition
to
parcel-level
requirements,
the
Landscape
&
Irrigation
Design
Manual
emphasizes
coordinated
fuel
management
along
roadway
easements,
supported
by
habitat
monitoring
and
community
collaboration.

The manual
references
the
Poway
Subarea
Habitat
Conservation
Plan
for
land
use
and
habitat
management
guidance,
and
directs
users
to
the
State
Fire
Marshal's
standards
for
building
near
native
vegetation
The
species
list
below
shall
not
be
planted
in
fuel
modification
zones
as
they
are
exotic
and
highly
flammable
plant
species.
(Landscape
and
Irrigation
Design
Manual
Section
Four)7.

BOTANICAL
NAME
Adenostoma
sparsifolium
Adenostoma
fasciculatum
Artemisia
californica
*Cortaderia
selloana
*Hedera
helix
Malosma
laurina
*Pennisetum
setaceum
Salvia
(most
species)
*Vinca
major
COMMON
NAME
Red
Shanks
Chamise California
Sagebrush
Pampas
Grass
English
Ivy
Laurel
Sumac
Fountain
Grass
Sage Periwinkle
The
City
of
Poway
may
be
eligible
for
federal
and
state
grants-such
as
those
offered
through
FEMA
and
CAL
FIRE-that
support
defensible
space
creation,
vegetation
management,
and
7 "Landscape
and
Irrigation
Design
Manuel.
" City
of
Poway
, 2028
,
https://poway.org/DocumentCenterNiew/5364/City-of-Poway-Landscape-and-lrrigation-Design-Manual?bidld=. November 2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-17
43 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
4 •
Fire
Hazards
wildfire
risk
reduction.

These
funding
opportunities
typically
fall
under
hazard
mitigation,
fire
prevention,
and
community
resilience
programs
.

Firewise
USA
Communities
To
support
community-level
fire
adaptation,
the
Poway
Fire
Department
supports
the
creation
of
Firewise
USA
Communities
to
establish
Firewise
USA
Communities,
a
national
recognition
program
that
promotes
local
risk
assessments
and
the
implementation
offire
mitigation
measures.

These
efforts
complement
Poway
's
defensible
space
and
vegetation
management
programs
by
fostering
a
culture
of
shared
responsibility
for
wildfire
resilience.

Participation
in
Firewise
USA
can
improve
insurance
eligibility
and
increase
neighborhood awareness
of
best
practices
in
vegetation
clearance,
ember
resistance,
and
evacuation
readiness
.

Structural
Hardening
Compliance
with
Building
and
Fire
Codes
along
with
various
mitigation
techniques
that
stress
additional
hardening
measures
will
reduce
the
risk
of
property
destruction
during
a
wildland
fire
event.

The
Poway
Municipal
Code
includes
provisions
for
the
structural
hardening
of
new
development
and
during
the
permitted
modification
of
existing
structures
within
fire
hazard
severity
zones.

Considerations
for
structural
hardening
in
the
Poway
Municipal
Code
include
fire
retardant
building
materials,
fire
apparatus
access
roads,
turnarounds,
turning
radius
for
roads,
and
the
installation
of
water
tanks
where
necessary.

November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
4-18
44 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter
5 Flooding
Hazards
A.

Background Flooding
occurs
when
a
waterway
(either
natural
or
artificial
drainage
channel)
receives
more
water
than
it can
effectively
convey,
leading
to
a
rise
in
water
level.

Depending
on
the
duration
of
these
conditions
and
the
volume
of
runoff
relative
to
the
waterway's
capacity,
the
water
level
may
eventually
exceed
the
banks
or
other
boundaries
of
the
drainage
area,
resulting
in
flooding
. Flood
events
frequently
happen
during
heavy
precipitation,
when
the
volume
of
rainwater
surpasses
the
capacity
of
storm
drains
or
flood
control
channels.

Additionally
,
floods
can
occur
when
infrastructure
such
as
levees
, dams,
reservoirs
, or
culverts
experience
failure
, preventing
proper
drainage
from
the
area
. These
failures
may
be
associated
with
heavy
rainfall-for
example,
erosion
caused
by
water
weakening
a
levee-or
may
result
from
other
emergencies,
such
as
a
dam
failure
due
to
an
earthquake
. Flooding
due
to
extreme
weather
creates
property
damage
,
threatens
injury
and
has
the
potential
for
loss
of
life
. The
greatest
risk
of
flooding
is
generally
along
major
streams
and
channels;
however
,
flooding
can
also
occur
when
heavy
rain
overwhelms
smaller
tributaries
, causing
them
to
swell
beyond
their
channels
. In
addition,
failures
or
limitations
in
stormwater
infrastructure-such
as
blocked
or
undersized
storm
drains,
culverts,
or
detention
basins-can
lead
to
localized
flood
ing,
even
outside
designated
floodplains.

These
conditions
are
especially
common
during
intense
or
prolonged
rainfall
events,
when
drainage
systems
exceed
their
design
capacity.

8. Drainage
System
The
City
of
Poway
is
divided
between
two
major
watersheds
, San
Dieguito
and
Los
Penasquitos
.

A
watershed
, also
known
as
a
drainage
basin
or catchment
area,
is
an
area
of
land
where
all
the
water,
including
rainfall
and
runoff,
drains
into
a
common
outlet,
such
as
a
river,
lake,
or
ocean.

The
majority
of
the
City
of
Poway
is
within
the
Los
Penasquitos
Creek
Drainage
Basin
which
receives
the
Poway
Creek,
Pomerado
Creek,
Los
Penasquitos
Creek
(Beeler
Creek)
and
Rattlesnake
Creek.

Poway
Creek
is
the
largest
with
a
drainage
area
of
21 square
miles.

Areas
of
north
Poway
are
within
the
San
Dieguito
Drainage
Basin
which
receives
the
Thompson
Creek,
Green
Valley
Creek
, Warren
Canyon
Creek
and
the
Green
Valley
Truck
Trail
Creek.

These
creeks
flow
into
Lake
Hodges
and
eventually
into
the
Pacific
Ocean
along
the
San
Dieguito
River.

The
City
of
Poway
drainage
basins
are
displayed
in
Figure
5-1
.

C.

Flooding
Hazards
The
City
of
Poway
participates
in
the
National
Flood
Insurance
Program
(NFIP),
a
FEMA
regulated
program
that
mandates
specific
regulations
for
flood
prone
areas
identified
as
a Special
Flood
Hazard
Area
(SFHA).

The
SFHA
identifies
those
areas
of
the
City
at
the
highest
risk
of
flooding
, known
as
floodways
and
floodplains.

FEMA
delineates
these
areas
using
hydrologic
studies,
risk
assessments,
and
historical
data
to
classify
zones
as
low,
moderate
, or
high
risk
. FEMA
has
delineated
inundation
areas
for
what
is
commonly
referred
to
as
100-
and
500-year
flood
zones
. High-risk
areas
are
November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
5-1
45 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
5 •
Flooding
Hazards
those
with
a 1
percent
or
greater
annual
chance
of
flooding-commonly
referred
to
as
the
base
flood
or
100-year
flood
zone.

Moderate-risk
areas
are
those
with
a

0.2 percent
annual
chance
of
flooding,
also
known
as
the
500-year
flood
zone
. Although
less
frequent,
500-year
floods
can
still
cause
significant
damage
and
are
used
to
identify
areas
with
residual
flood
risk
. Within
the
City
of
Poway
, these
areas
are
generally
adjacent
to
creeks
or
other
tributaries
and
are
subject
to
inundation
by
the
base
flood
and/or
flood-related
erosion
hazards.

A
study
performed
in
2018
found
621
structures
within
the
City
's
SFHA.

This
early
development
within
the
floodplain
is
the
primary
cause
of
property
damage
and
loss
due
to
flood
hazards
. Potential
flood
hazards
are
displayed
as
Figure
5-2.

November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
5-2
46 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
I
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2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
5-3
47 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
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48 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
D. Natural Flooding
City of Poway
5 • Flooding Hazards
Natural flooding occurs when major rainstorms cause stream overflows. Within City of Poway boundaries lies several creeks and natural watercourses; these include Poway Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, Sycamore Creek, Thompson Creek, Beeler Creek, Green Valley Creek, and San Dieguito River. Flooding would potentially occur in these areas in the event of significant storm events. According to the FEMA flood maps, Poway Creek and Rattlesnake Creek are the most flood-prone of Poway's creeks. The flood zones in these areas are categorized as a FEMA 100-year flood hazard zone with a 1 percent annual chance of flooding.

E. Dam Inundation
Dam failure is the uncontrolled release of impounded water from behind a dam. Flooding, earthquakes, blockages, landslides, lack of maintenance, improper operation, poor construction, vandalism, and terrorism can all cause dam infrastructure to fail. Dam failure causes downstream flooding of varying velocities that can result in loss of life and property. Two dam structures exist in the Poway area: Poway Dam and Lake Ramona Dam. In evaluating dam performance during a seismic event, a number of factors must be considered including the potential for seismic activity and intensity and an assessment of the structural integrity of a dam. In addition, the potential for landslides and seiches (water waves caused by seismic waves) causing dam overtopping must be considered.

Poway Dam is the only dam within the City of Poway, located at 14644 Lake Poway Road. The dam is owned and operated by the City of Poway Public Works Department. According to the California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), the downstream hazard potential for Poway Dam is high. A high downstream hazard potential classification indicates that, in the event of a dam failure while operating at full capacity, the resulting inundation is expected to cause the loss of at least one human life. The downstream hazard potential is based solely on potential downstream impacts to life and property and is not an indication of structural integrity or probability of failure. Poway Dam is approximately 163 feet in height and impounds a reservoir containing up to 3,272 acre-feet of water over 62 surface acres (an acre foot is the volume of water that covers one acre, one foot deep in water and is equal to 326,000 gallons). The City maintains an approved Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for monitoring inundation risk and responding to a possible event. The EAP includes detailed inundation maps approved by the DSOD, outlining areas at risk in the event of dam failure which align with the Dam Failure Inundation Map, Figure 5-3. It also establishes notification procedures, roles and responsibilities, preparedness and coordination strategies with local emergency responders to protect life and property downstream.

The potential for dam failure or overtopping as the result of a seismic event is remote. The design of Lake Poway and Poway Dam, as illustrated in the Design Report prepared by Boyle Engineering in May and June 1970, clearly illustrates that the dam design incorporated maximum credible seismic activity anticipated in the dam vicinity. The rock and earthen dam is designed to withstand a major seismic event, and the spillway design will accommodate overtopping as a result of landslides along the steep banks or seiches. The DSOD also maintains a record of the condition assessment of the dams. According to a September 2024 report by DSOD, the condition assessment of Poway Dam is satisfactory, meaning no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Therefore, the potential for property damage or loss of life due to the failure of Lake Poway by a seismic shock is considered small.

November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 5-5
49 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
5 •
Flooding
Hazards
Lake
Ramona
Dam
is
located
approximately
one-mile
northeast
of
the
Poway
Dam
and
is
situated
immediately
east
of
the
Poway
City
boundary
in
the
unincorporated
community
of
Ramona.

The
Lake
Ramona
Dam
was
constructed
by
the
Ramona
Municipal
Water
District
(RMWD)
during
the
mid-to-late
1980s.

Lake
Ramona
has
a
drainage
basin
of
approximately
1, 120
acres
and
a
maximum
storage
capacity
of
12,000-acre
feet.

The
dam
spillway
will
divert
any
overflow
from
the
reservoir
into
the
adjacent
drainage
basin
to
the
north
.

Both
Poway
Dam
and
Lake
Ramona
Dam
are
located
in
drainage
sub-basins
that
drain
into
the
same
major
drainage
courses,
following
Green
Valley
Creek
and
Sycamore
Creek
northwest
to
Lake
Hodges
. In
the
event
of
a
failure
or
breach
at
either
dam
, discharge
would
follow
natural
stream
channels
and
contribute
to
the
same
potential
inundation
areas.

Water
from
Poway
Dam
• would
flow
northwest
out
of
the
City
while
water
from
Lake
Ramona
Dam
would
flow
southwest
into
the
City
boundary
before
joining
the
Poway
Dam
inundation
path
toward
Lake
Hodges.

The
communities
of
Poway
and
the
City
of
San
Diego
would
be
affected
by
a
dam
failure
; however,
no
critical
facilities
are
located
within
the
inundation
area.

Old
Coach
Road
and
Highland
Valley
Road
are
the
only
public
roads
identified
as
potentially
impacted
. The
Lake
Hodges
Dam,
located
approximately
12 miles
downstream
and
owned
by
the
City
of
San
Diego,
was
evaluated
in
the
dam
inundation
study
. The
study
concluded
that
a
failure
of
Poway
Dam
would
not
result
in
overtopping
or
failure
of
Lake
Hodges
Dam
, as
the
inundation
limits
terminate
at
its
reservoir
.

Although
complete
failure
of
either
dam
is
considered
a
remote
possibility,
the
areas
of
potential
inundation
are
primarily
undeveloped
and
are
expected
to
remain
so
which
results
in
a
low
risk
of
property
damage,
injury,
and
loss
of
life.

Figure
5-3
shows
which
areas
of
the
City
would
be
affected
by
a
dam
failure
from
either
Poway
Dam
or
Lake
Ramona
Dam
.

F.

Flood
Management
and
Improvement
Since
incorporation,
the
City
of
Poway
has
taken
several
steps
to
manage
and
improve
the
flood­
prone
areas,
including
participating
in
the
National
Flood
Insurance
Program
(NFIP)
. The
City
of
Poway
regulates
development
within
the
Special
Flood
Hazard
Area
(SFHA),
meeting
or
exceeding
NFIP
regulations
for
development.

Regulations
include
the
requirements
for
a
Floodplain
Development
Permit
ensuring
no
increases
in
upstream
flood
elevations
and
to
ensure
structures
are
protected
against
flood
damage.

This
leads
to
a
safer,
stronger
, and
more
resilient
community,
providing
increased
protection
for
new
development
which
prevents
repetitive
losses
due
to
flooding
.

The
City
of
Poway
regularly
consults
with
and
receives
training
from
the
State
Department
of
Water
Resources
and
FEMA
as
the
agencies
with
responsibility
for
flood
protection.

The
City
participates
in
the
Community
Rating
System
(CRS),
a
program
through
FEMA that
requires
the
City
maintain
flooding
hazard
mitigation
efforts
including
the
preservation
of
open
space
in
the
floodplain,
the
enforcement
of
higher
standards
for
safer
development
, the
maintenance
of
drainage
systems
, the
monitoring
of
flood
conditions,
and
community
education
and
outreach.

As
of
2025,
the
City
of
Poway
holds
a
CRS
Class
7 rating,
which
reflects
the
City's
commitment
to
flood
hazard
mitigation
and
earns
residents
in
SFHAs
a
15 percent
discount
on
flood
insurance
premiums
.

In
the
future,
continued
flood
hazard
management and
enforcement
can
be
accomplished
by:
•
Maintaining
major
creeks
to
keep
them
free
and
clear
of
flood
water
obstructions;
November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
5-6
50 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City of Poway
5 • Flooding Hazards
• Ensuring new development occurs outside special flood hazard areas and conforms to the City Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance;
• Ensuring improvements within special flood hazard areas comply with no rise regulations; • Continuing to improve and expand the City's drainage system.

Creek maintenance is essential to proper flow in natural watercourses as flood control channels.

In the past, debris that included over-grown vegetation and dumping worsened upstream flood hazards by restricting the free flow of water. The City reduces the risk of flooding by performing repair and maintenance of drainage facilities in the right-of-way and within improved channels dedicated to the City of Poway. Activities include maintenance and repair, annual inspection, pipe repair and replacement, vegetation management and sediment removal.

In the long term, the proper management of the flood hazard areas will do the most to reduce potential loss of life, injury, and property damage. The City has established strategies to ensure new buildings are constructed above the 100 year flood level and new development does not contribute to an increased flood hazard.

The City's Drainage Master Plan establishes flood control improvements designed to serve ultimate development of the City while reducing the potential for flooding.

November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 5-7
51 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
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City
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5 •
Flooding
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November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
5-8
52 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter 6
Geologic & Seismic Hazards
A. Background
Geologic hazards occur as a result of unstable geologic formations that can be caused by nature or by man. In the City of Poway, landslides, rock falls, seismic induced rupture or shaking, earth settlement and expansive soil conditions are the main geologic hazards. Most problems associated with the geologic hazards in the City are due to the vulnerability of several geologic formations found. Seismic hazards are directly related to geologic hazards; the geologic formations present can increase the risk and impact of a seismic event within the community.

B. Local Geology
The geology of Poway can be divided into geologic zones based upon the age and general composition of exposed rocks. These areas include:

1. Metamorphic Rocks
Bedford Canyon Formation: Low grade metamorphic rocks comprised of elastic meta siltstone, slate, shale and mita sandstone and meta conglomerate.

Santiago Peak Volcanics: This rock unit consists of slightly metamorphosed and acidic, rhyolitic, and dacite volcanic rocks, with local tufts and breccias. These rock units are relatively dense and resistant to erosion.

2. Igneous Rocks
San Marcos Gabbro: This unit is hornblende gabbro which intruded the older Santiago Peak Volcanics and Bedford Canyon Shale and was in turn intruded by the younger granitic rocks. The gabbro is rather resistant to weathering; exposures tend to form broad based, conical-shaped, bold hills with few surface boulders.

Green Valley Tonalite: This unit is highly susceptible to weathering and forms low areas with gentle topography.

Woodson Mountain Granodiorite: This unit is very resistant to erosion, forming most of the high areas in the City. Outcrops tend to be characterized by large, rounded boulders, as on Mt.

Woodson. Also, large exfoliation domes are common.

3. Sedimentary Rocks
Lusardi Formation: This unit is one of the three post-batholithic Cretaceous units of the Rosarion Group. The Lusardi formation is a boulder conglomerate that occurs in limited outcrops in the City. This unit is characteristically very coarse and poorly sorted and contains locally derived cobble-to boulder-sized material.

November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 6-1
53 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
6 •
Geologic
&
Seismic
Hazards
Friars
Formation:

This
is
one
of
six
units
that
make
up
the
La
Jolla
Group
. The
Friars
formation
consists
of
lagoonal
and
nonmarine
sandstones
composed
of
expansive
clays,
montmorillonite
and
kalinite.

The
sandstone
beds
may
be
locally
interbedded
with
sandy
clay
stones.

Cobble
conglomerate
lenses
of
stream
origin
are
also
found
.

Stadium
Conglomerate:

This
unit
is
one
of
three
units
that
make
up
the
Poway
Group
. The
other
two
units
of
the
Poway
Group
, the
Mission
Valley
Formation
and
the
Pomerado
Conglomerate,
underlie
only
a
small
portion
of
the
area
and
are
located
in
the
southwest
portion
of
the
City
.

The
Stadium
Conglomerate
is
a
moderately
well
sorted
cobble
conglomerate
of
nonmarine
origin.

The
distinctive
"Poway"
cobbles
are
composed
of
slightly
metamorphosed
rhyolitic
and
dacitic
volcanics
and
some
quartzites.

The
cobbles
were
deposited
by
westward
flowing
streams,
as
river
channel
and
deltaic
sediments
from
an
eroded
source
area
within
a
short
distance
east
of
their
present
position.

Mission
Valley
Formation:

The
Mission
Valley
Formation
is
a
soft,
friable,
light
silver-gray
fine
to
medium
grained,
quartz
rich
sandstone.

It also
contains
interbeds,
tongues
and
lenses
of
brackish
water
claystones
that
locally
compose
20 percent
of
the
section.

The
unit
is
found
only
in
the
southwest
portion
of
the
City
and
is
not
an
extensive
unit.

Pomerado
Conglomerate:

The
Pomerado
Conglomerate
is
a massive
cobble
conglomerate
which
is
lithologically
identical
to
the
Stadium
Conglomerate.

The
Pomerado
is
the
youngest
unit
of
the
Poway
Group
and
is
separated
from
the
Stadium
Conglomerate
by
the
Mission
Valley
Formation
.

Where
the
Mission
Valley
Formation
is
missing
, the
two
conglomeratic
units
are
in
contact
and
are
indistinguishable.

Alluvium
and
Slope
Wash
: Alluvial
material
consisting
of
poorly
consolidated
stream
deposited
silt,
sand,
gravel,
and
cobble-sized
particles
occur
in
the
major
stream
channels
and
mantels
the
lower
valley
slopes.

A
map
of
the
geologic
formations
is
displayed
as
Figure
6-1.

November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
6-2
54 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Rancho
Bernar o
City of
San Diego
Carmel
i,lount,1,n
R.inch
, •. r
City of
Escondido
City of Poway
6 • Geologic & Seismic Hazards
Figure 6-1
City of Poway
Geologic Formations
0 Con k>meratr
rel( c Volcanic Rock
Muds.tone
Plutonic Ro<~ (Ph ne, ,he)
County of
San Diego
67 o.s
To:ia',:e
Poway c,ry Limit.s
\' terbod!
fn:ew.ly~
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LO< I Ro.ids
LS
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55 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
C. Geologic Hazards
City of Poway
6 • Geologic & Seismic Hazards
As stated previously, landslides, rockfalls, seismically induced movement, fillsettlement and expansive soils are the principal geologic hazards in the City. Factors which are likely to induce ground movement on unstable slopes include:
• Oversteeping of natural slopes by erosion or grading (particularly in landslide prone areas with slopes greater than 30 percent);
• Undercutting of slope bases by erosion or grading;
• Overloading slopes with additional weight;
• S~turation of incompetent material by periods of prolonged rainfall, over-irrigation, leaky swimming pools or utility pipes and leach line discharge; • Ground acceleration during earthquakes.

Historically, Friars and Mission Valley Formations have been involved in numerous landslides.

Most of the landslides are rotational slopes. It is estimated that most of these landslides occurred 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, based on data of slides having similar characteristics. Generally, sliding appears to have originated at the contact between the upper portion of the Friars formation and the lower portion of the Stadium Conglomerate. Rockfall are created by oversteepened slopes in the granitic terrain due to seismic shaking or erosion. Expansive soils are clay soils which expand in volume with an increase in moisture content. Damage is caused when structures are built on this soil without adequate foundation design. As with landslides, fill soils derived from the Friars and Mission Valley formation are the predominate materials involved in fill settlement and expansive soil problems.

D. Seismic Hazards
Although the Regional Fault Map shows faults in the City of Poway, these are classified as inactive by the California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology. Based upon the available information and historical records, the City of Poway is remarkably free from other seismic hazards despite relatively high earthquake activity along the major fault systems in Southern California. It can be expected that minor to moderate damage will result from seismic activity. The potential exists for a major seismic event to occur along one of the major faults and result in local damage. The Regional Faults Map is displayed as Figure 6-2.

1. Faulting and Surface Rupture
Surface ruptures occur on existing faults when a fault displacement extends upward from the ground surface. The surface will not rupture every time a fault moves. As earthquakes increase in magnitude, there is a stronger possibility of ground rupture occurring. When the surface is ruptured, everything in its path will be affected. Because no active faults are present in Poway, surface rupture is not considered an apparent hazard.

November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 6-4
56 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14

2. Ground
Shaking
City
of
Poway
6 •
Geologic
&
Seismic
Hazards
Ground
shaking
is
characterized
by
the
physical
movement
of
the
land
surface
during
earthquakes.

The
severity
of
the
seismic
ground
shaking
depends
on
the
magnitude
of
the
earthquake,
the
distance
of
the
site
from
the
quake
epicenter
and
soil
conditions
at
the
site
and
in
between
. Ground
shaking
can
be
felt
and
can
even
cause
damage
hundreds
of
miles
from
the
epicenter
of
the
earthquake
. The
effects
of
ground
shaking
depend
on
its
severity
based
on
the
above
factors,
duration
and
on
the
type
of
construction
and
its
integrity.

Ground
shaking
is
expected
to
have
the
greatest
amount
of
seismic
impact
on
Poway
. Major
seismic
events
along
one
of
the
fault
systems
discussed
previously
would
cause
significant
ground
shaking
to
cause
property
damage.

Also,
other
potential
seismic
hazards
will
occur
primarily
as
a
result
of
intense
ground
shaking
.

Damage
to
structures
and
other
property
may
be
minor
because
the
great
majority
of
structures
in
Poway
are
earthquake
resistant
(wood
frame
or
buildings
built
to
earthquake
standards)
.

However,
severe
damage
due
to
secondary
effects
such
as
landslides
and
liquefaction
could
still
occur
.

3. Ground
Failure
Most
seismic
ground
failures
occur
as
landslides
where
the
seismic
event
, gravity
, groundwater
and
poor
geologic
conditions
all
work
together
to
displace
small
or
large
amounts
of
earth
. As
stated
before,
the
City
of
Poway
has
areas
which
are
highly
susceptible
to
landslides.

A
major
seismic
event
could
easily
act
as
the
trigger
for
an
ancient
landslide
to
once
again
move
either
slowly
or
rapidly
down
a
slope
.

The
most
effective
way
to
avoid
landslide
damage
is
to
prevent
development
of
landslide-prone
areas
.

However,
modern
engineering
practices,
although
costly,
can
stabilize
slide-prone
areas
through
application
of
one
or
more
techniques
including,
but
not
limited
to:
removing,
redistributing,
compacting
, or otherwise
stabilizing
hazardous
earth
masses;
installing
proper
• drainage
devices
; using
buttress
fills;
and
practicing
careful
landscaping
and
irrigation
techniques.

4. Liquefaction
Liquefaction
is
the
loss
of
strength
(bearing
capacity)
in
granular,
saturated,
unconsolidated
sediments.

Areas
with
sediments
and
shallow
water
tables
are
particularly
susceptible
to
liquefaction,
which
may
be
caused
as
the
ground
liquefies
and
flows
or
spreads
laterally
or
responds
as
quicksand
causing buildings
to
tilt
or
sink.

For
liquefaction
to
occur,
three
factors
must
be
present:
•
Soils
must
contain
relatively
loose
granular
fine
sands
or
silts
.
•
The
water
table
must
be
shallow.
•
Intense,
long
duration
ground
shaking
(greater
than
.13g
with
a
duration
of
greater
than
45 seconds)
must
occur.

A
preliminary
investigation
of
soil
conditions
in
the
City
of
Poway
indicates
that
there
is
little
or
no
potential
for
liquefaction.

This
conclusion
is
based
primarily
on
the
structure
and
particle
size
mix
of
the
soil
types
found
in
the
low
-lying
areas
of
the
City
. For
liquefaction
to
occur,
soils
must
November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
6-5
57 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
6 •
Geologic
&
Seismic
Hazards
be
loose,
evenly
graded
fine
sands
or
silts
. According
to
the
U.S. Soil
and
Conservation
Service
Soil
Survey
for
the
San
Diego
Area,
the
soils
of
the
low-lying
areas
are
sandy
loams
with
clay
substrata.

The
high
percentage
of
clay
particles
integrated
with
sands
reduce
interstitial
space
and
gives
the
soils
a
massive
structure.

Given
these
soil
conditions
and
the
lack
of
evidence
of
any
past
history
of
intense,
long
duration
ground
shaking
as
a
result
of
nearby
seismic
activity
, it
is
believed
that
the
three
factors
necessary
for
liquefaction
to
occur
are
not
present
in
the
correct
combination
and,
therefore,
the
potential
for
widespread
liquefaction
in
the
Poway
area
does
not
exist.

However,
it may
be
that
the
local
history
is
too
short
to
make
an
unequivocal
statement
as
to
the
potential
liquefaction
in
the
entire
City
.

5. Subsidence
Ground
subsidence
is
the
gradual
settling
or
sinking
of
the
ground
surface
with
little
or
no
horizontal
movement.

Most
ground
subsidence
is
anthropogenic
(created
or
influenced
by
humans)
and
is
usually
associated
with
the
extraction
of
oil,
gas,
or
groundwater
from
below
the
ground
surface
in
valleys
filled
with
recent
alluvium
. Land
subsidence
can
also
occur
during
an
earthquake
because
of offset
along
fault
lines
and
as
a
result
of
the
settling
and
compacting
of
unconsolidated
sediment
from
the
shaking
of
an
earthquake.

Subsidence
has
four
primary
causes
including:
•
Ground
water
withdrawal;
•
Oil
or
gas
withdrawal;
•
Hydrocompaction
(usually
caused
by
first-time
wetting
of
open
textured
soils
which
compact
under
their
own
weight);
•
Peat
Oxidation
(results
from
shrinkage
of
burial
organic
debris).

There
is
no
known
subsidence
hazard
within
the
City
of
Poway.

6. Structural
Hazard
The
large
majority
of
buildings
within
the
City
have
been
constructed
to
meet
the
modern
seismic
design
standards
included
within
the
Uniform
Building
Code.

Experience
in
recent
earthquakes
indicates
that
when
structures
are
built
according
to
seismic
design
standards
they
can
be
expected
to
perform
well
during
an
earthquake
. This
is
true
for
areas
where
earthquakes
are
relatively
minor
and
may
not
be
true
for
a
local
major
earthquake.

November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
6-6
58 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
531\ a,cos
san Diego
November 2025
59 of 87
City of Poway
6 • Geologic & Seismic Hazards
Figure 6-2
Escondido
santee
"
El Cajon
La
I (!S,.1
·11 Vista
county of
5,rn Diego
0 rJults -
Powly City liffllb □ '
Wlltrbodlfs
Major Rolds
'
A
10 --====----• !,lies
Public Safety Element I Page 6-7
May 19, 2026, Item #14
Chapter
7 Climate
Resilience
A.

Background The
California
Government
Code
65302(g)(4),
established
by
Senate
Bill
379
(2015)
requires
climate
adaptation
and
resilience
in
Public
Safety
Elements.

This
law
mandates
that
California
cities
and
counties
update
the
Safety
Elements
of
their
General
Plans
to
include
a
vulnerability
assessment,
adaptation
goals
and
policies,
and
implementation
strategies
to
address
climate­
related
hazards.
climate
resilience
can
be
defined
as
the
capacity
of
communities
to
withstand,
adapt
to,
and
recover
from
the
adverse
impacts
of
climate
events.

Climate
events
can
have
widespread
effects
on
temperature
and
weather
patterns
. In
many
areas,
climate
may
increase
the
frequency
and
duration
of
droughts
and
create
conditions
that
intensify
wildfire
vulnerability.

B.

Climate
Effects
on
Hazards
and
Risk
Temperature,
precipitation,
and
wind
can
influence
both
the
likelihood
of
a
natural
disaster
occurring
and
the
severity
of
its
impact.

Extreme
heat
and
drought
were
identified
in
the
San
Diego
Multi-Jurisdictional
Hazard
Mitigation
Plan
(MJHMP)
as
high
threats
for
the
potential
direct
impact
on
the
community.

Higher
temperatures
may
also
increase
the
likelihood
of
a
wildfire
igniting
and
the
rate
at
which
it spreads.

State
law
requires
Cities
include
local
climate
projections
for
temperature
and
precipitation
from
the
Cal
Adapt
tool
in
Safety
Elements
as
shown
in
Table

7.1. November
2025
Public
Safety
Element
I Page
7-1
60 of
87 May 19, 2026, Item #14
Table 7-1
City of Poway
7 • Climate Resilience
Cal Adapt Tool Projections for the City of Poway8
-----------------------------------------
. . Mid-Century (2035-2064) Climate Factors Impacting the Observed ----------------~--- City of Poway (1961-1990) Medium Emissions A High Emissions A nnual Average Maximum
emperature (°F)
Extreme Heat Days {days)B

73.4-79.2
0-16
nnual Average Precipitation (inches)c 4.0-34.5

77.2-84.0
2-42

2.6-33.1

78.3-86.1
2-54

2.0-37.5
1 -Incorporation of this data is required by California Government Code §65302(g)(4) A. The Medium Emissions Scenario represents a mitigation scenario where global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions peak by 2040 and then decline. Statewide, the temperature is projected to increase by 2°C-4°C for this scenario by the end of this century.

The High Emissions Scenario represents a scenario where CO2 emissions continue to rise throughout the twenty-first century.

Statewide, the temperature is projected to increase by 4°C-7°C by the end of this century.

B. Number of days in a year when the daily maximum temperature is above a threshold temperature of 103.9°F (98111 percentile).

C. Summary statistics are calculated using values between 1961 and 1990 from Modeled Historical data (CanESM2, CNRM-CM5, HadGEM2-ES, MIROC5 models).

Source: Cal-Adapt, Local Climate Change Snapshot, cal-adapt.org.

C. Extreme Heat
An extreme heat event occurs when the temperature is at or above the 98th percentile for historical daily maximum temperatures in the City of Poway. An increase in extreme heat waves can increase the risk of heat stroke or dehydration. Extreme heat may strain water, power, and transportation systems, as well as have negative effects on infrastructure such as roadways and sidewalks, leading to deterioration and buckling. Additionally, the increased use of air conditioners can put strain on electrical systems. San Diego County has designated Cool Zones, or places with free air-conditioning. Per the County's program, the closest cooling centers for the residents of Poway is the Poway Public Library and Mickey Cafagna Community Center in Community Park.

The highest priority mitigation actions for extreme heat include preparation, with strong attention to weather forecasts and ready social services, infrastructure (e.g. Cooling Centers), natural shading from vegetation and community outreach to protect vulnerable populations.

D. Drought
Drought is defined as an extremely dry climatic period where the available water falls below a statistical average for a region. Drought is also defined by factors other than rainfall, including vegetation conditions, agricultural productivity, soil moisture, water levels in reservoirs, and streamflow. Droughts or water shortages are a gradual phenomenon, occurring over multi-year periods and increasing with the length of dry conditions. When precipitation is less than normal for a period of time, the flow of streams and rivers declines, water levels in lakes and reservoirs 8 "Local Climate Snapshot." Cal-Adapt, Geospatial Innovation Facility at University of California, Berkeley, https://v2.cal­ adapt.org/tools/local-climate-change-snapshot/.

November 2025 Public Safety Element I Page 7-2
61 of 87
May 19, 2026, Item #14
City
of
Poway
7 •
Climate
Resilience
fall,
and
the
depth
to
water
in
wells
increases.

If
dry
weather
persists
and
water
supply
problems
develop,
the
dry
period
can
become
a
drought.

Droughts
cause
public
health
and
safety
impacts
, as
well
as
economic
and
environmental
impacts
. Public
health
and
safety
impacts
are
primarily
associated
with
catastrophic
wildfire
risks
and
drinking
water
shortage
risks
for
small
water
systems
in
rural
areas
and
private
residential
wells
. Dead
or
dying
vegetation
poses
a
risk
of
falling
and
damaging
structures
and
infrastructure
systems. 1.

Drought
Severity
Drought
severity
depends
on
numerous
factors,
including
duration
, intensity,
and
geographic
extent,
as
well
as
regional
water
supply
demands
by
humans
and
vegetation
. The
severity
of
drought
can
be
aggravated
by
other
climatic
factors
, such
as
prolonged
high
winds
and
low
relative
humidity
. The
magnitude
of drought
is
usually
measured
in
time
and
the
severity
of
the
hydrologic
deficit.

The
United
States
Drought
Monitor
is
a
map
released
weekly
that
indicates
the
portions
of
the
United
States
that
are
experiencing
drought
and
the
severity
of
the
drought
based
on
five
classifications:
abnormally
dry
(DO),
showing
areas
that
may
be
going
into
or
are
coming
out
of
drought,
and
four
levels
of
drought:
moderate
(D1),
severe
(D2)
, extreme
(D3),
and
exceptional
(D4)
(refer
to
Table
7-2).

The
Drought
Monitor
is
not
a
forecast
but
looks
backward,
providing
a
weekly
assessment
of
drought
conditions
based
on
how
much
precipitation
did
or
did
not
fall.

Because
drought
is
a slow­
moving
hazard,
it
may
take
more
than
one
good
rainfall
to
end
a
drought,
especially
if
an
area
has
been
in
drought
for
a
long
time
. The
City
of
Poway
has
experienced
drought
conditions
under
all
categories.

Table
7-2
Drought
Severity Classification
Category
Description
Possible
Impacts
DO
Abnormally
Dry
Going
into
drought:
short-term
dryness
slowing
planting
, growth
of
D1
Moderate Drought
crops
or
pastures
.