Environmentalists Fail to Stop River Cleanup

Efforts by environmentalists to stop the cleanup of a notoriously trash-strewn stretch of river fail, for now at least.

A San Diego judge has refused to stop the city from cleaning out flood control channels to prevent the Tijuana River Valley from flooding during winter rains.
     
Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor on Thursday denied a request for a temporary restraining order.
     
Bulldozers last week began clearing out tons of trash, brush and sediment from channels in the Tijuana River Valley. Officials said they want to prevent a repeat of December's flooding, which drowned horses and goats.
     
The group San Diegans for Open Government sued the city last month, arguing that the project didn't comply with state environmental laws.
     
However, the judge said the project appeared to meet an exemption in the law for emergency work.