Erosion along a bluff in Del Mar has put a major sewer line in jeopardy and forced the closure of a thoroughfare for at least a month.
Significant erosion from the rains undermined a bluff area beneath Camino Del Mar, which runs along a main sewer line. City workers closed the thoroughfare south of Fourth Street for an undetermined amount of time.
Officials said the southside of the roadway between Fourth Street and Carmel Valley Road will be closed for a month or longer and repairs will cost about $200,000.
Both sides of the roadway were closed Thursday afternoon, but the north side was reopened just before 5 p.m. Thursday.
The sewer line along the roadway feeds Del Mar’s sewage to the Point Loma sewer treatment facility.
“I think the biggest concern is if we were to lose this line we would have no way to discharge our sewage down to San Diego,” said Eric Minicilli, public works director for Del Mar.
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The erosion had damaged a storm drain box in a critical area: next to the storm drain are sewer lines, gas lines and fiber optic cable.
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"We're concerned that pull that box out of there might have it fall and damage sewer lines," Minicilli said.
On Friday, crews were continually working to make repairs and did not have a timeline for when the south lane would be reopened. Officials are encouraging drivers to take alternate routes.
South in La Jolla, the rains also caused significant damage. A portion of La Jolla Colony Drive was closed after a 30-foot tree toppled over onto a light post, blocking the street. There was no major traffic in the area, but police were asking drivers to go slow in that area.
Several large pine trees also snapped in Poway during Wednesday’s storms.
In Logan Heights, a large sinkhole had developed on Harbor Drive, south of Sampson Street. San Diego police were encouraging drivers to tread carefully in that area.
Rains are expected to subside Thursday afternoon before another storm comes through this weekend.
