And it''s not for fear of the bone-dry creekbed turning into a raging river. It''s the rumbling trucks and choking dust that''s got them in a huff.

"I don''t live in an industrial area," said Elliot Graham, 65, who has lived on 40th Street near the flood-control channel for 32 years. "But that''s what it''s become."

Graham isn''t alone in his displeasure. Dozens of residents in the exclusive community north of Arrowhead Country Club, most of them members of a neighborhood action group, are fed up with work they say has been grinding on here since a deadly flood swept through in late 2003 and early 2004.

The residents complain of dust and sand pelting their homes and streets and hundreds of trucks lumbering down 40th Street daily.

The work has been intermittent since just after heavy rains triggered floods and slides more than three years ago. Residents say the county Flood Control District has rightly contracted with private companies to clear the wash of debris.

The problem, they say, is the work going on north of 40th, above the wash, in an area known as Waterman Basin.

The flood-control district has entered into contracts with at least three companies, a former county official said, whereby the companies pay for the privilege of gathering and hauling away tons of sand and rock. The increasingly scarce resources, ingredients in concrete and building material, is then sold at a profit.

"There is certainly a profit motive," said Lou Schnepp, an official with the county''s Real Estate Services Department, which regularly works with Flood Control on various projects. "But there may also be a benefit in removing material from the area," Schnepp said, noting that during flooding that began in December 2003, a torrent of rocks and sand slid over 40th Street, making it impassable until last year.

Distraught neighbors, coalesced into a North End Neighborhood Association, met May 23 and vented their annoyance to county officials who attended. The grousing has caught the attention of city officials, including Mayor Pat Morris, who lives just a few blocks south of 40th Street.

Morris met with county Supervisor Dennis Hansberger last week, said Councilwoman Wendy McCammack, but solutions have not yet been forthcoming.

"I understand the county''s need to clean up flood-control areas," said McCammack, in whose ward the neighborhood sits. "And I''m glad they do that, but the question becomes `What''s the difference between flood control and a money-making opportunity?"''

McCammack said she hopes the city and county can work out a solution, perhaps including more measures to limit dust and noise.

"The ball is really in the mayor''s court."