Redding residents used the City Council’s Oct. 6 meeting to ask the city to investigate recurring flooding and coordinate cleanup of Henderson Ditch, a man-made stormwater channel that speakers said serves a roughly 275-acre catchment area.
Lance Stern, who said he represented residents living near the ditch, told the council that the channel has repeatedly overflowed and that residents were seeking direction from the city after years of jurisdictional disputes. He attributed to city public-works staff the assessment that the upstream channel can carry only about 35% of a 100-year flow. Stern also said the ditch drains to the Sacramento River and passes through the city, county and multiple easements. (Watch the Oct. 6 Redding City Council meeting.)
Stern said the ditch overflowed on Dec. 21, 2025, flooding homes and properties. He further alleged that four wells later tested positive for E. coli and that neighborhood damage totaled about $330,000. Those damage, testing and cost figures were presented in public comment and were not independently documented in the available records.
Marty Love, whose granddaughter lives near the ditch on Birch Way, told the council that a family member’s home sustained about $30,000 in flood damage, according to his account. Love urged the city and county to share the cost of clearing a 1,500-foot section, saying he had heard of an approximately $100,000 tree-service bid and proposing that the city, county and neighbors each pay one-third. The bid and the reported household damage were not supported by procurement or repair records in the available materials.
The meeting record documents the residents’ request but does not establish who owns or maintains each portion of the ditch, confirm the well-test results or show a written city or county response. The speakers’ comments leave those questions open for follow-up.
