HESPERIA, Calif. (VVNG.com) — San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies, along with the department’s Bombs and Arson Division, responded Thursday afternoon to a report of military ordnance discovered inside the California Aqueduct in Hesperia.
The discovery was made on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at about 4:00 p.m., near the pump plant in the Summit Valley area.
Naynay Nevarez told VVNG she was walking the trail along the California Aqueduct, taking videos of debris, when she noticed an object inside the aqueduct.
Spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Jenny L. Smith, said, “The reporting party found a possible mortar.”
Smith said deputies contacted the Sheriff’s Department Bombs and Arson Division, who found the military ordnance and “rendered the area safe.”
Nevarez said deputies closed off the area and, after dark, she heard a loud “boom.”
“They did a controlled detonation in the aqueduct,” stated Nevarez.
After authorities cleared the area, Nevarez said she returned and recorded video showing where the ordnance had been located, along with scorch marks left behind from the detonation.
At the time of the discovery, water levels inside the aqueduct were noticeably low. The reduced water flow may be related to the ongoing Aqueduct Bridge demolition project on Ranchero Road in Hesperia, though officials have not confirmed a connection.
No additional information about how long the ordnance had been in the aqueduct or its origin was immediately available.
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