City of San Diego Waterways Maintenance Plan

The City of San Diego conducted emergency maintenance activities on the Garnet 2 and Damon 1 stormwater channels to mitigate immediate flood risks following intense storm events in January and February 2024, which deposited significant sediment, vegetation, and debris into the concrete-lined segments of these waterways. Emergency authorization under ESL Approval No. PMT-3304128 allowed for rapid response without prior environmental review under the Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan, as these specific facilities were not originally included in the Final Environmental Impact Report certified in June 2020. Crews removed approximately 10,923 cubic yards of material over 379 linear feet of Garnet 2 and 685 linear feet of Damon 1 using heavy equipment including excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks, with all material transported to Miramar Landfill. Work concluded on May 19, 2024, achieving the minimum necessary impact to restore hydraulic flow and protect public safety. Oversight and approval were managed by the City of San Diego Development Services Department and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with compliance ensured under the California Environmental Quality Act, specifically Sections 21108, 21152, and 15091/15096 of the CEQA guidelines. The project was treated as an emergency response under existing regulatory frameworks, with no formal contract structure, pricing data, or federal acquisition regulation clauses applied, and was supported by environmental determinations and Streambed Alteration Agreement EPIMS-SDO-46244-R5. Payment processing and financial tracking were handled through county clerk procedures using state-issued receipt numbers, while project oversight was coordinated by city planners and environmental staff without designated contracting officers or technical representatives. All activities aligned with the broader goals of the Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan to reduce flood risk across San Diego’s 342-square-mile MS4 system, though no long-term maintenance plan was established for these specific channels due to their exclusion from the original EIR analysis.