Broken ditch on Mount Soledad causing ‘major problem’ with runoff; San Diego weighs repairs

A crumbling drainage ditch used to direct stormwater down Mount Soledad in La Jolla is being evaluated for repair after a resident expressed concern that the damage is causing his street to flood.

The concrete ditch — which the city of San Diego calls a brow ditch and resident Purushotham Kotha calls a swale — runs east-west behind a cul-de-sac in the 7100 block (north end) of La Jolla Scenic Drive South. It bisects a trail that leads from the dead end of La Jolla Scenic Drive South to the top of Mount Soledad. The trail is popular with hikers and cyclists, according to Kotha, who lives at the end of the cul-de-sac.

A concrete drainage ditch that runs east-west behind a cul-de-sac in the 7100 block of La Jolla Scenic Drive South has been broken for years, resulting in “serious and dangerous flooding,” according to a resident.

(Bing Maps and La Jolla Light staff)

The “huge swale” also runs behind the homes on either side of La Jolla Scenic Drive South to direct water away from streets and homes and into storm drains, Kotha said.

However, he said, the ditch has been broken for years, with no repairs in sight. Kotha said he first noticed it in 2018.

That has resulted in “serious and dangerous flooding” of La Jolla Scenic Drive South, Kotha said, with water “basically flooding down the hill itself to the base of Mount Soledad.”

The brow ditch, or swale, runs along the top of this hill near a cul-de-sac on La Jolla Scenic Drive South.

(Elisabeth Frausto)

He said the runoff has been especially bad this year with heavier than normal winter rains and then Tropical Storm Hilary in August, bringing mud and other debris that clog the storm drains.

“It’s a major problem already,” Kotha said. “Many feel unsafe.”

Kotha said he has emailed city officials many times since 2019 to report the damaged ditch and has used the city’s Get It Done app as well as contacted people in the Parks & Recreation and Stormwater departments.

“I never received a response from anyone,” Kotha said.

A broken concrete drainage ditch means water and mud run off onto the streets after a storm, resident Purushotham Kotha says.

(Elisabeth Frausto)

City spokesman Ramon Galindo said the Stormwater Department “was made aware of the issue in March … through a service notification.”

“Our team has since assessed the location and extent of damage,” Galindo said. He noted that the ditch was built as part of the development of the adjacent community along La Jolla Scenic Drive South and Via Capri.

“Given the location of the failure, extent of damage and necessary resources to make the repair, it will have to be evaluated among other Stormwater priority repairs throughout the city,” Galindo said.

There is no timeline to address the issue.

In the meantime, city employees will “continue to monitor its condition,” Galindo said, along with possibly setting up devices or methods to help manage stormwater runoff. ◆