Supervisors expand dredging work to improve Tijuana River Valley

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to expand dredging work in the Tijuana River Valley to remove trash and sediment and help reduce flooding impacts from the Tijuana River.

The work is set to improve the conditions in two channels that run through the Valley, impacting residents and visitors to the Tijuana River Valley and nearby communities of Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.

The Board’s action extends the County’s current dredging in Smuggler’s Gulch beyond the County-owned and managed Tijuana River Valley Regional Park to include land in Smuggler’s Gulch that is owned by the City of San Diego and the City of San Diego’s Pilot Channel.

The work is funded by over $4 million in grant funding and $750,000 of County funds for a total investment of $5.1 million.

The Tijuana River Valley Regional Park encompasses approximately 1,800 acres of land with 22.5 miles of multi-use trails, a bird and butterfly garden, the County’s largest community garden, baseball fields, soccer fields, and natural open space.