If it’s a hot summer weekend, the crowds can be expected to flock to a popular spot along the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley.

The site near Paradise Knolls Golf Course has become a source of tension in the past few years between visitors looking to cool off and residents complaining about littering, traffic and parking problems.

Since May, Jurupa Valley officials have taken steps to address the complaints by opening a dirt lot for parking and moving in trash cans, dumpsters and portable toilets. The city also started restricting parking on nearby streets as Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies stepped up patrols.

The river bottom area — considered a wildlife preserve — is owned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, though the Riverside County Parks Department manages its water quality and habitat. Jurupa Valley bought part of the nearby property from the county last year and put in parking and other improvements.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Cain Gonzalez, a 1-year-old Jurupa Valley resident, relaxes in the Santa Ana River along with hundreds of others Sunday, Aug. 6, near the corner of 64th and Downey streets in Jurupa Valley.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Downey Street is packed with parked cars between 61st Street and Limonite Avenue on Sunday, Aug. 6, as people use the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley.

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Hundreds of people cool off in the Santa Ana River with their popups and lawn chairs Sunday, Aug. 6, near the corner of 64th and Downey streets in Jurupa Valley.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Families play and cool off in the in the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG A banda band plays as members stand in the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.



Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG A horseback rider talks on his phone as people make their way to enjoy the Santa Ana River near the corner of 64th and Downey streets in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Families play and cool off in the in the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Families play and cool off in the in the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Jurupa Valley resident Keni Pano plays with her children Cain Gonzalez, 1, and Camila Gonzalez, 3, as they enjoy the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG There are now four trash bins for people to use after spending a day at the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley.



Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Families use popups for shade as they sit in the water of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Hundreds cool off in the Santa Ana River through Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Hundreds cool off in the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Children play in the cool water of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG A member of a banda group plays trombone as he stands in the cool water of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.



Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Families cool off Sunday, Aug. 6, in the Santa Ana River through Jurupa Valley.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Children float as a banda group plays in the background at the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Families flock to the Santa Ana River through Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Hundreds cool off in the Santa Ana River on Sunday, Aug. 6, in Jurupa Valley.

Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG A family packs up and heads home after an afternoon at the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Aug. 6.



Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG Family members wait in the shade to be picked up after a day at the Santa Ana River on Sunday, Aug. 6, in Jurupa Valley.

A day at the river

One recent Sunday, the parking lot at the corner of Downey and 64th streets was full by noon. Cars continued to pause at the entrance to unload families with coolers and beach supplies.

The “No stopping any time” signs seemed to deter drivers from parking along the street, but several deputies pulled up to make sure.

Resident Jade Johnston, 28, and her husband, Nick, live in a neighborhood about a mile from the river and were returning from riding their horses as families streamed into the parking lot.

“There’s a live mariachi band down there!” Jade Johnston said while sitting astride her horse Sunday, Aug. 6. “There’s trash everywhere. They’re ruining it.”

Down at the river’s edge, a band was indeed playing banda music, as the musicians dipped their feet in the shallow water.

It was sparkling-clear, dishwater warm and no more than a couple of feet deep. Pop-up tents dotted the banks, sheltering tables loaded with bags of chips, watermelons and foil-covered pans of food.

Children splashed and played on inner tubes, and some adults sat or laid down to get as wet as possible.

Leo Rivera, 34, said he brought his wife and two children from Anaheim to join some friends at the river after hearing about the spot.

He’s been to ocean beaches, he said, but in the river, “The water is not too deep and the kids can play.”

‘Not under control’

But some residents who live nearby say their small residential neighborhood is overwhelmed during summer by a river attraction that seems to be growing in popularity.

“On the Fourth of July, it was just a constant procession of people coming down the street,” said Pat McMahon, who lives nearby.

He’d like to see the city charge people for using the parking lot to try to try to cut down on visitors.

Victoria Kirkman, an area resident for 25 years, said parking enforcement has helped, but sheriff’s deputies don’t have enough staff to deal with so many visitors. Many who visit the river continue to break rules against barbecues and alcoholic beverages and are blocking equestrian trails, she said.

Kirkman said the band was at the river for five straight weekends and could be heard from nearby homes.

“It’s still not under control,” she said. “It’s like they keep putting little band-aids on things.”

Kirkman called the wildlife preserve “a precious resource (that’s) just going to get devastated.”

Progress seen

Jurupa Valley City Manager Gary Thompson said the city is doing its best and more is planned.

“It’s been a challenge, there’s no question about it,” he said. “We work through things as we can. We’re making progress in a lot of areas.”

The city is putting together plans to pave the parking lot and replace portable toilets with full bathrooms. Jurupa Valley also is working with the National Park Service, which has a master plan for access all along the Santa Ana River.

The city hopes to ramp up code enforcement and staff the area with a park ranger next summer, Thompson said.

As one of the only access points to the river in the city, the location is likely to continue to be a popular spot, he said.

Jurupa Valley Mayor Verne Lauritzen said city efforts are working, noting that visitors are using the dumpsters and trash cans — which are full every weekend.

“Ninety percent of the people that utilize that area down there want to do the right thing,” he said.

Not all the neighbors are annoyed with the flurry of activity at the river on weekends.

Arianna Runyon, 20, who rents a house across the street from the parking lot, said her only complaint is when people don’t clean up their trash and it blows against her fence and into her yard.

She’s seen people post rude comments online about the beach-goers and doesn’t think it’s right, she said.

“They make fun of them, saying they can’t afford the real beach,” Runyon said. “They’re just having fun. It’s hot.”