Clearing Storm Channels in District 7; Preparing for El Nino
In the past few months, storm channels throughout District 7 have been cleaned to ensure proper drainage occurs to prevent flooding for the upcoming rainy season.
The upper and lower portions of Alvarado Creek were recently cleared which will help prevent flooding in the several areas in District 7.
Though this is good news, there is much more work that needs to be done. Unfortunately, burdensome regulation and lawsuits from environmental lawyers have put the clearing of vital storm channels way behind.
The permitting process for any maintenance efforts in the City’s storm channeling system takes approximately 24 months to complete.
The burdensome federal, state, and local permitting process require the city to obtain permits from five, sometimes six separate government agencies.
Each individual permit requires the development and submission of several studies, including hydrologic conditions, biological resources, archeological/cultural resources, noise impacts, and mitigation options.
In addition to these costly regulations, the city must buy land to replace vegetation that has been cleaned out from the concrete storm channels.
With El Nino approaching it is important to ease the regulatory burdens and hurdles that local governments must overcome to clear clogged drainage channels.
The system is unworkable, burdensome, and impractical. We need long term regulatory relief. In the short-term, we must have the regulatory flexibility and cooperation to meet the challenges of El Nino.
As always, please feel free to get in touch with my office if you have any feedback or if my office can ever be of service.
Contact my office:
202 C Street, MS #10A
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 236-6677
Email: scottsherman@sandiego.gov
