Mid-year budget adjustments to fund Rainbow Water Quality Improvement Project, Camino Del Rey drainage

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The most recent mid-year budget adjustments approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will establish funding in the county’s Road Fund for five projects including the Rainbow Water Quality Improvement Project and the Camino Del Rey Road Drainage Project.

The supervisors’ 4-0 vote May 24, with Joel Anderson absent, transferred $2,158,224 of Department of Public Works general fund money to DPW’s Road Fund for the five projects. Two of the other projects are in Lakeside while the Best Management Practices retrofit and rehabilitation project will be countywide.

The primary purpose of the Rainbow Water Quality Improvement Project will be to reduce nutrient discharge into Rainbow Creek, and the project will also provide improvements to some Rainbow roads. The project will use subsurface wetlands channels; adjacent road runoff will be conveyed through those channels which will deliver the water (minus whatever was used for the vegetation or soil) to collection pipes and then to the discharge system at Rainbow Creek.

In addition to filtering runoff, the channels will increase the water volume capacity by increasing the depth of the channels. The work will also include lining, geotechnical studies, and groundwater testing. The project will also replace other drainage channels to convey adjacent road runoff.

The road improvements will take place along Huffstatler Street by Second Street, Huffstatler Street south of Fifth Street, Fifth Street between Huffstatler Street and Rainbow Valley Boulevard, Rainbow Valley Boulevard from Chica Road to Rainbow Creek Road, and the northern part of Rainbow Valley Boulevard.

Pedestrian improvements will be made at the intersection of Huffstatler Street and Fifth Street. Traffic improvements will involve widening for some segments and turn radius modification. Driveway modifications will also be made.

The Camino Del Rey drainage improvements will upgrade the existing drainage system to accommodate a 100-year flood. The work will raise a one-mile dip section out of the flood plain and install new drainage culverts.

The construction of the five projects is expected to be complete by winter 2024.