Cucamonga Basin #6 was designed as a multi-purpose flood control and groundwater recharge facility. While built for flood protection and water quality control, other goals of this multi-agency project included habitat restoration and creating open space recreation within the San Bernardino County Flood Control District. The design team took what would normally be viewed as an obtrusive “hole in the ground” and turned it into an award winning and groundbreaking facility protecting a newly constructed housing community from a 100-year flood in addition to offering a dynamic and self-perpetuating ecosystem providing residents unique recreational and educational opportunities.

The Basin itself encompasses 11 acres of wetland habitat restoration, 15 acres of riparian habitat restoration, and 37 acres of Riversidean Alluvial Fan Sage Scrub. As a functional and ecological centerpiece for the surrounding community the Basin is an invaluable asset built to a high level of aesthetics and environmental stewardship.

Cucamonga Basin #6 is the first built example in San Bernardino County of this type of functional flood control basin blending the restoration of a sustainable self-perpetuating ecosystem with a recreational use overlay. It was awarded the 2012 SCCASLA Merit Award for Land and Water Reclamation and Conservation as well as an American Public Works Association, Project of the Year.

The project scale and context showcase the opportunity that exists to design a required service facility into a recreational and educational destination. The project promotes healthy living and ongoing interactivity with the natural surroundings by providing community members enhanced access to the Basin along with increased connectivity between the residential and commercial zones.