Water district OKs Moonridge hotel drainage easement, backs leaving old gas line in Big Bear Lake

The Big Bear Municipal Water District board voted 4-0 Thursday, Sept. 17, to grant a temporary drainage easement for the proposed Moonridge Hotel, allowing stormwater work to cross a district-owned parcel beside Rathbun Creek.^[1] The board also concurred with a plan to leave a decades-old Southwest Gas pipeline on the bottom of Big Bear Lake, with its cut ends buried about 18 feet below the surface.^[1] For residents, the decisions affect how runoff from a new Moonridge development reaches the creek before winter, and how a lakebed pipeline is closed out at the lake the valley relies on.

The Moonridge Hotel easement

The hotel is proposed near the former Bit & Spur site. General Manager Jared Cheek told the board that stormwater from the project drains toward Rathbun Creek, and that the district owns a landlocked parcel next to the creek through which the drainage improvements would pass.^[1]

Cheek said the work must be finished before the onset of fall and winter weather. According to the minutes, establishing a fair valuation of the easement has been challenging because of the property's unique characteristics, so staff recommended a temporary easement while valuation details are finalized.^[1]

Cheek emphasized that the proposal does not involve selling district property, but rather "the temporary right to access and utilize a portion of the property for drainage purposes." Legal counsel confirmed that a temporary easement structure would be appropriate.^[1]

Vice President Steve Ludecke moved to approve the easement and authorize the general manager to negotiate compensation and sign the agreement. Directors Tom Bradford, Craig Brewster, Mark Lee and Ludecke all voted yes.^[1] The minutes do not state what compensation the district will seek. No one spoke during the public forum on the item.^[1]

The abandoned gas pipeline

Brewster reported that the district's Lake Improvement Committee discussed an abandoned Southwest Gas pipeline on the lake bottom. Because of significant sediment buildup over the line, the committee recommended that Southwest Gas cut and abandon it in place rather than remove it, which would disturb the lakebed more.^[1]

Cheek noted the pipeline has been in place since roughly the 1960s and that Southwest Gas has been pursuing closure of the project for several years.^[1] Bradford asked whether the pipeline could someday be used for lake aeration.^[1]

Ludecke raised concerns about residual materials in the line and about exposed pipe ends. Cheek said the line would be purged with air before abandonment and recommended burying the ends about 18 feet below the water surface, and the board concurred.^[1]

Other items

The board was also told that a shoreline alteration application has been filed for the Cluster Pines/Marina Point area. The applicant proposes to regrade the shoreline and place about 2,700 cubic yards of rock. The project needs state and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approvals before further district review, and it was presented for information only.^[1]

The board separately approved replacing three windows at the West Public Launch Ramp facility, also 4-0.^[1] Cheek reported that year-to-date launch counts are running about 17% below last year.^[1]

The board's next meeting is Oct. 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM at the district office, 40524 Lakeview Drive.^[1]