County approves $750,000 base contract and alternate bidding approach for Tijuana River Valley dredging work

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized staff to advertise and award construction contracts and to ratify prior change orders for dredging work in the Tijuana River Valley, approving an approach staff said preserves the county’s ability to proceed this year while also enabling the project to expand if federal grant money is secured.

Supervisor Montgomery Stepp moved the item, citing the need to protect against flood and pollution risks in the valley during the current work window. County parks staff told the board that the county historically requests $750,000 in its parks budget to carry out annual dredging on county property south of Monument Road; that amount, staff said, is sufficient to address the county’s portion of work this year.

County staff described a two‑stage contracting approach. The contract will be advertised with a base bid sized to the county’s $750,000 budget and with alternates that can be funded if and when a larger federal grant arrives. Staff said that approach preserves flexibility: if the federal grant is not awarded, county crews or contractors will complete the county portion now; if the grant comes through, the alternates will allow the contractor to perform the expanded, grant‑funded scope.

Supervisors and county staff stressed the timing constraints. Parks staff said regulatory permits and environmental considerations — specifically bird‑nesting seasons — limit when the dredging can occur; if county crews do not proceed during the open work window they may miss the seasonal opportunity, which could delay needed work another year.

Supervisor Joel Anderson and others asked whether the city of San Diego would contribute toward dredging work on city land that abuts the river. County staff said they had engaged city staff at a technical level and that the city has said its funding priorities are focused on more urbanized areas; county staff said they would continue to press for city participation but were prepared to move forward with county work to reduce immediate flood risk.

Public commenters urged caution about recurring costs and asked the county to bill the city for city‑owned portions of work. Callers also repeated broader public requests that Mexico be held accountable for cross‑border pollution and that federal involvement be pursued.

The motion to approve the contracting and bidding approach passed unanimously.

What the board approved

The board authorized staff to advertise and award construction contracts for dredging work in the Tijuana River Valley, to ratify prior change orders related to the project, and to proceed with a base‑bid/alternate contracting strategy that starts with $750,000 in county funds and scales up through grant alternates if federal funding is secured.

Why it matters

Staff said dredging work is intended to reduce flood risk and to limit migration of contaminated sediments that can affect downstream communities and beaches. The item reflects the county’s effort to use available county funding to preserve an immediate work window while pursuing matching federal funds to expand the scope.

Next steps

Staff will advertise a construction contract with a base bid and alternates, solicit bids, and return with award recommendations. If the larger federal grant is not received, staff said the county will proceed with the county portion funded from the $750,000 budget. Staff also said they will continue to press the city of San Diego for participation on city‑owned portions.