SAN DIEGO – Starting Monday roughly 250 million gallons of water from the Hodges Reservoir will be released into the San Dieguito River, according to San Diego city officials.
The release is expected to last two days until the reservoir elevation is around 275 feet, which is the number the reservoir cannot exceed due to a state mandate.
The impending rise of the San Dieguito River level prompted the city’s public utilities director to issue a warning for people who visit the area.
“Visitors to this area of the San Dieguito River Park and generally along the San Dieguito River should take precautions as the water level in the creek will rise,” said Juan Guerreiro, director of the San Diego Public Utilities Department. “The City will continue to monitor weather forecasts, rainfall and the water level at Hodges Reservoir to determine if additional water releases need to be planned during the rainy season.”
In order to maintain the mandated reservoir level, the city may periodically release water from Hodges Reservoir when it rains a lot.
This entire operation is going on as the city works to make repairs to Hodges Dam, which started in May.