Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Politics

Crews Clean Clogged Tijuana River Valley Flood Channels

Crews Clean Clogged Tijuana River Valley Flood Channels
City of San Diego work crews have begun an emergency clean-up of clogged flood channels in the Tijuana River Valley. The city is trying to prevent a repeat of last year's flood in the valley.

City of San Diego work crews have begun an emergency clean-up of clogged flood channels in the Tijuana River Valley. The city is trying to prevent a repeat of last year's flood in the valley.

Dick Tynan has lived on a ranch in the Tijuana River Valley for the last 32 years, and he said last December the floodwaters rose from his ankles to over his head in half-an-hour.

Advertisement

"Three horses drowned and 10 goats drowned. We just couldn't get to them," he said.

Tynan said watching the bulldozers digging out the channels that overflowed last year is fantastic.

"You don't know how much relief inside that feels to know that the water can flow and that its not going to come back in on you," he said.

The San Diego City Council declared a state of emergency in the Valley last month and freed up nearly $4.5 million to clean out flood channels in advance of this year's rains.

A massive bare berm that's part of the new border fence sits at the mouth of the main channel. People who live in the valley are concerned dirt will cause flooding.