17,000 Acres Claimed by Urbanization

Urbanization of the Inland Empire, which has already undergone a substantial transformation during the last 20 years, is still rising, state conservation officials reported Tuesday.

Nearly 17,000 acres of land were urbanized in Riverside and San Bernardino counties between 1998 and 2000, compared with about 11,000 acres from 1996 through 1998, the state Department of Conservation reported. Most of that development took place in Riverside County, on 14,080 acres.

More than 15,000 acres in the Inland Empire were reclassified from agricultural to nonagricultural uses, largely because of a new reservoir and new ecology and wildlife preserves used to offset new development, the state said.