Project Description

This project provides for the rehabilitation and replacement of 4.7 miles of trunk sewer pipe in Tecolote Canyon. These repairs and upgrades will prevent sewer line ruptures and provide additional capacity to the sewer system. Project activities include sewer line maintenance, installation and replacement of manholes and access path improvements to facilitate future maintenance. Both open trench and trenchless methods for replacing and rehabilitating the trunk sewer will be used, depending on the area of the canyon. Trenchless work will occur in environmentally sensitive locations and will include the use of a steel casing, a jacking pit and a receiving pit.

This project will also install 700 linear feet of 16-inch water main to service the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course and provide redundancy in the water system for the efficient delivery of water to the surrounding communities.

Other activities include construction of stream crossings and manhole protections. Revegetation plans include a 120-day plant establishment period, 25-month monitoring for vegetated areas and 60-month monitoring for all restoration areas.

For everyone's safety, anyone visiting the area is asked to use caution and stay a safe distance from any construction activity.

The project alignment is available to view on the CIP Project Map Viewer.

Anticipated Schedule 

• Construction start: October 2024.
• Construction end: July 2027.*

Current Work (Updated March 4)

• Certain sections of the hiking trail are temporarily closed for public safety due to heavy construction vehicle traffic, limited space within the trails, deep excavations and around-the-clock construction activities. For more information regarding the trail closures, see our project flyer.
• Construction on Phase 1a is underway with the installation of the new sewer main. This phase stretches from the Nature Center to the University of San Diego (USD) access point and requires an around-the-clock closure of this portion of the trail through fall 2025. Phase 1b of the project, which runs north of the USD access point, will be closed during the week and open on the weekends. The September Street trail loop will not be impacted by the current work and will remain open. During Phase 2 of the project, the main trail will remain open north of the USD access point.

Project Budget  

The project's budget is $55.1 million for the sewer asset and $2.04 million for the water asset.*

Additional budget and schedule information are available here.

Additional Resources

• Biological Technical Report
• California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) Notice of Determination
• CEQA Site Development Permit (SDP)

Contact Us

For questions about this project, call the Engineering & Capital Projects Department at 619-533-4207, submit your inquiry online or email engineering@sandiego.gov. Please reference "Tecolote Canyon Trunk Sewer Improvement & Golf Course Water Connection" in your inquiry.

*Anticipated schedule and project budget are subject to change.