The public survey is now closed.

A well-maintained stormwater system serves our community by protecting neighborhoods and reducing flood risk. The City of San Diego's Stormwater Department must routinely maintain the storm drain system – composed of channels, pipes, levees, basins and other structures -- serving our communities through periodic removal of trash, debris, vegetation, and accumulated sediment. This maintenance is needed to restore existing stormwater facilities to their original design capacity to reduce flood risk, provide public safety and protection of property.

The City has developed a new Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan (approved by City Council in June 2020) to replace the expired Master Storm Water System Maintenance Program (expired in September 2018). As described in the Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan, the City identifies and prioritizes maintenance needs for stormwater facilities through an annual process involving inspections, public input, and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis. Each process is highlighted as follows:

Step 1: Inspections typically start at the end of the rainy season, in April, where the City visually inspects stormwater facilities to determine the probability and consequence of flooding.

Step 2: Public Input is pursued on a yearly basis by the City via an online public survey, providing each member of the public the opportunity to voice their priority of which stormwater facilities should be maintained.

Step 3: Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analysis is conducted to examine where maintenance could reduce flood risk.

The City is currently performing inspections and launching the public survey for this year’s Stormwater Maintenance Prioritization. The results from this year will determine the stormwater channels, basins, and structures to be selected for maintenance efforts in Fiscal Year 2024.

For more information and to view the Municipal Waterways Maintenance Plan, visit https://www.sandiego.gov/stormwater/services/mswsmp

For questions about the maintenance prioritization or survey, contact Ramon Galindo at 619-953-9332 or RHGalindo@sandiego.gov.