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City of San Diego finishes massive 'island' encampment cleanup at I-5 and Friars Road

Crews removed more than 62 tons of debris and waste along the San Diego Riverbed where nearly 100 people were living.

SAN DIEGO — The City of San Diego finished a massive cleanup of encampments under the I-5 freeway along Friars Road at an area known as the "island." CBS 8 is giving you a close-up look at the results. 

Crews from Alpha Project and Urban Core cleared out more than 62 tons of debris and waste along the San Diego Riverbed where at least 96 people were living.

“This area did attract a lot of people due to its proximity to having good shelter. People don’t tend to come out here. It’s away from people," said Franklin Coopersmith, Deputy Director of San Diego's Environmental Services.

CBS 8 showed you the “Island,” as it’s called, back in August. You could see tents, furniture, people cooking food and using rafts to get back and forth.

Last Tuesday, CBS 8's Brian White rode with lifeguards on a small boat to the “island” to get a close-up look at all the trash left behind.

After four days of cleanup, Coopersmith brought CBS 8 out again to see the impressive results firsthand.

"We had a fire pit here before, we had a couple encampments in there as well, so you can see everything is gone,” said Coopersmith pointing out the cleared areas under the freeway.

The City of San Diego contracted with Clean Harbors to dispose of any hazardous materials like needles, humane waste, and propane tanks. 

Due to the flood-prone nature of the area where people were living, city officials wanted to clear out the encampments before the next rainy season for safety reasons and to restore the riverbed to its natural state.

“When you start getting a kind tide, when you start getting some water coming down, this whole thing will be gone,” explained Coopersmith.

Last year, the city received a $3.6 million grant from the state to help with outreach efforts before clearing encampments. 

The Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department provided case management and street medicine to people experiencing homelessness in the area over the past four months. Some people were admitted to safe sleeping sites and other types of shelter.

“We do know that some people will want to return, so we do have park rangers that are going to be assigned to this area," said Coopersmith. "We will be checking ourselves as well as our HOT team and our Neighborhood Policing Division will be here as well.”

For the next phase, they’ll be moving east along the San Diego River around Fashion Valley to continue with more multi-agency outreach and cleanups.

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