San Diego City Council Environment Committee Meeting on Rivers and Waterways - February 14, 2019
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
San Diego City Council Environment Committee Meeting on Rivers and Waterways - February 14, 2019
The Environment Committee of the San Diego City Council convened on February 14, 2019, to discuss informational items on the San Diego River and the Tijuana River Valley. The meeting focused on coordination efforts, environmental challenges, and partnership opportunities. No votes were taken, as both items were informational.
Consent Calendar
- The committee adopted the agenda and the committee actions from January 24, 2019, unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made for either agenda item, and no non-agenda public comments were received.
Discussion Items
Item 1: Coordination Efforts on the San Diego River and San Diego River Park
Rob Hudzel (President and CEO, San Diego River Park Foundation) and Kerry Lowe (Board Secretary) presented an overview of the San Diego River's history, current conditions, and ongoing efforts. Key points included:
- In 2000, the largest raw sewage spill in state history discharged 34 million gallons into the river.
- The watershed covers 440 square miles, with over half a million residents, and includes five reservoirs.
- The river starts near Julian and flows through Mission Valley into Mission Bay and the ocean.
- Volunteers removed approximately 300,000 pounds of trash in 2018, totaling nearly 3 million pounds since the organization's founding.
- The water quality in the urban stretch is rated an 'F' due to re-engineering and stagnant water.
- The number of homeless encampments along the river decreased from 118 in October 2017 to around 40 currently.
Recommendations to the City included:
- Streamlining permitting for river restoration projects, including designating the San Diego River Trail as an essential public project.
- Implementing a 'Safe Routes to Parks' initiative with better signage.
- Increasing city grant-writing capacity to secure state funding.
Councilmember Sherman asked about the 'essential public project' designation and the permitting process. Rob Hudzel explained that under the city's Environmental Sensitive Lands Ordinance, an essential public project can bypass the need for wildlife agency concurrence, saving significant time and money.
Councilmember Bree asked about legal steps to make the river park an essential public project; the City Attorney agreed to work with her office and the foundation. She also discussed the need for more grant writers and inquired about SDSU West's commitments to the river park. Rob Hudzel stated that the foundation advocated for at least 60 acres dedicated to park and river improvements at the stadium site, with a 100-foot buffer (approximately 8 acres) from the river, and noted that SDSU had not agreed to incorporate water elements into the design.
Item 2: Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
Chris Peregrine (Reserve Manager, California State Parks) presented on the Tijuana River Valley. Highlights included:
- The reserve is one of 29 National Estuarine Research Reserves, with 20 years of baseline monitoring data.
- The watershed is 1,700 square miles, about 75% in Mexico.
- Over 370 bird species use the area, with six threatened or endangered species nesting there.
- The estuary is the only one in the region without a highway or rail line bisecting it.
- Challenges include cross-border pollution, uncontrolled development, and illegal dumping in Tijuana.
- The Goat Canyon sediment basin captures polluted flow, costing $1.8 million annually to maintain.
- Ongoing projects include repairing Monument Road, an 80-acre salt marsh restoration, and the Nelson Sloan Quarry Restoration project.
Councilmember Moreno asked about the impacts of warming climate on species; Peregrine acknowledged the trend and noted the estuary's capacity to adapt. He also discussed the need for additional infrastructure, such as floating trash booms at other border crossings. Peregrine mentioned oyster microchip research as an innovative monitoring tool.
Councilmember Sherman asked about sewage's impact on the ecosystem; Peregrine stated that a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will support compiling 20 years of data into a comprehensive assessment within 1-1.5 years.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken; both items were informational.
- Councilmember Bree requested the City Attorney's office to investigate legal options for designating the river park as an essential public project.
- Adrian Gronda from the Mayor's office agreed to review the San Diego River Foundation's recommendations and explore increased city involvement.
- SDSU West is tentatively scheduled to present their river-related plans at the next committee meeting.
- The committee encouraged a tour of the Tijuana River Valley for council members.
Meeting Transcript
Baby boy, I better sit down, can't listen when the sun's out the sun this will be so hard to hear. Come on, mama, what do you mean? I know you've been knocked down bees, nothing ever could be why you gotta wait so long. Why I gotta wait so long she said, son, let me reason with you. You think you carry such a way? I know I never beat you boy, let's start out tonight, you see the race you ain't come hard enough to say I least my time you ain't work hard enough to say you have enough to say I ain't come by you ain't say any better You pick the bad time you pick the bad time to listen to me, you pick the bad time you pick the bad time and listen to me, you pick the bad time You pick the bad time and listen to me, you pick the bad time You think the bad time and listen to me, you ain't gonna say at least my time You ain't work hard enough to say I don't mind enough to say I'm not to say any better up on the mountain, caught on the real eye up on the mountain, caught on the real eye my brotherly daughter beat your wife, smoke your weed, my brother let us turn me away you see where it claws to your skin is But if it's the truth the women the way the wheel beloved everything out the world you love you love and she only what you know it knows you better know we wake We drove from coach to coast Daddy knew all these with the leaves broke us You were tripping I was driving you I was hiding it you know I know how that feels don't get cheated kid just sweep from your heels and if you get carried away let the music play through the pain and way that's it we're gonna close through your skin Just take it off the world you love, you love empty what you know it love You better know we went We drove from coach to coast that the new old leaves with the levies broke You were tripping I was driving you I was hiding it you know I know how that feels don't get cheated kid just sweep from your heels and if you get carried away let the music play you through the pain and wave that's it wear it close through your skin Body Feder the women the white the wheel the love they took everything out Just take it all the world you love you love empty Surely what you know and love You better know where you're on the mountain caught on the rail Upon the mountain caught on the real eye Someone down someone down pay on both sides of I was broken Oh my one trying to hide this damage done one day all our secrets will be spoken as we slow dance I became your statue frozen times I wonder Are we just a puff of smoke? Yeah Underneath this bed of ashes deal with holding everything like we were never close Don't you ever baby No sis tryna change it I must drive these matches never had control I'm ready to let go was I pullin myself I'm gonna spread these ashes never had control I'm ready I'm ready I'm ready to let go Someone down some way down over Palm pay on holy ground our vows were broken We met up we broke bread I was blue your dress was red strange We both knew this day was coming as we slow dance I became your statue frozen times I wonder Are we just a puff of smoke? Yeah Underneath this bed of ashes still told and everything like we were never closed Don't you ever baby No sis trying to change it I must drive these matches Never had control I'm ready to let go was I feelin' myself I'm gonna spray these ashes never had control I'm ready I'm ready I'm ready to let go Don't you ever baby No sis trying to change you I must drive these matches never had control I'm ready to let go was I feelin' myself I'm gonna spread these ashes never had control I'm ready I'm ready I'm ready to let go I don't believe in fate no psychic vision But when things fall into place with the position I don't believe in fate. No psychic vision. But when things fall into place, superposition. You are my duck star. Superstition A with Imprecision. But when things can't be explained, superposition. You are my dark star. Why don't we spaces that define us? No matter what we do. With you. This meeting is now in order, and let the record reflect that Council Members Moreno, Bree, and Sherman are present. This meeting is now in order, and let the record reflect that Council members Moreno, Bree, and Sherman are present. And our first uh item is our adoption agenda today and the committee actions for January 24th, 2019. Does anyone have any changes, additions, or corrections to that? No. Okay. So we have a motion and a motion from Councilmember Sherman and a second from Councilmember Moreno. All in favor say aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. And so now we do not have we don't have any public non-agenda public comments, so we will move right into our uh committee members. If any committee members would like to speak, please. No. Okay. And so how about the city attorney, the IBA, and uh the mayor staff? Any comments? All right. So we're going to go ahead and move on to our agenda. And uh following our committee work plan, this meeting focuses on rivers and waterways, and we have two informational items today. Should be very interesting. Our first item is um on coordination efforts on the San Diego River and the San Diego River Park, presented by the San Diego River Foundation. So we'd like to welcome Rob Hudzel, who is the president and CEO, and Kerry Lowe, who's the secretary for the board of directors of the uh San Diego River Park Foundation. So thank you very much. And uh please uh go ahead and proceed with your presentation. Well, thank you very much. It's uh a great honor and a privilege to be here today. Um and uh as uh the chair mentioned, I am one of the founders of the Sandy River Park Foundation and I've been around uh for 18 years now. So um it's always a great opportunity to come share our our vision and our mission and um maybe work together and to improve the health of the San Diego River. Uh Kerry Lowe is here with me today, and um very happy he's very very knowledgeable, and I'm sure he's ready to answer any questions that you might have. Um as I mentioned, um, you know, I've been around a long time. Um in 2000, there was a very, very large sewer spill, the largest in the state's history at that time.
openpublica.com