Public Meeting – Tecolote Canyon Trunk Sewer Project – September 9
Hi everyone,
As many of you have seen, construction of the Trunk Sewer project in Tecolote Canyon has resulted in significant damage to parts of the canyon. If you have been witnessing the extensive vegetation removal and closures over this past year with a feeling of unease, you are not alone.
The Tecolote Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee (TCCAC) has arranged a PUBLIC MEETING with the City of San Diego’s Tecolote Canyon Trunk Sewer Project Team to discuss the recent construction and give the public an opportunity to learn more about the project, the work that remains, and the mitigation and restoration plans for the affected areas.
One of the major challenges to reducing the harmful impacts of this sewer project has been the way its planning and review process unfolded during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, when opportunities for environmental review, public scrutiny, and meaningful community involvement were more limited than would normally be expected for a project of this size. Major infrastructure projects can have lasting effects on our parks, natural resources, and communities, and we believe meaningful public participation, transparency, careful environmental review, and thoughtful planning should be an essential part of how decisions like these are made.
We hope this meeting will provide an opportunity for renewed public engagement and a productive discussion about the project and the future restoration of Tecolote Canyon.
This important meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 9 at 1:00 p.m. inside the Tecolote Canyon Nature Center. The meeting is being held during normal working hours so that more members of the City and Project Team can be available to attend and answer questions.
Anyone interested in the future of Tecolote Canyon is welcome and encouraged to come. We would particularly appreciate participation from people with knowledge of native plants, habitat restoration, biology, landscape architecture, environmental planning, or related areas, but no special expertise is needed. If you know and love Tecolote Canyon, your perspective matters.
We hope this meeting will not only help answer questions about what has already occurred, but also give the community a greater voice in the decisions that remain. If there are particular areas of the canyon, restoration concerns, or questions you believe should be addressed, please feel free to send them along before the meeting. We also hope to discuss areas where the sewer restoration may intersect with ongoing planning involving the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course.
We believe this is an important opportunity for the community to work constructively with the City to help ensure that Tecolote Canyon receives the care and restoration it deserves, while doing everything reasonably possible to prevent further unnecessary impacts as the remaining work is completed.
Please feel free to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested.
Thank you, and we hope to see you there!
Darrel Madison
Chairperson
Tecolote Canyon Citizens Advisory Committee