SAN DIEGO — A waterfall has been flowing in the backyard of Ron White’s home on Wescott Court in Rancho Peñasquitos just below Black Mountain for the past year.
“The big rains happened, and by this time last year in August, we thought it would go away, and it did not,” said White.
To prevent flooding in his home, White resorted to digging trenches across his backyard by hand, and pumping the water out to the street. It flows along the curb into a storm drain, and also collects in a nearby canyon.
And White is not alone.
The backyards of two neighbors on either side of White are flooded, too. They dug holes and installed pumps.
“I’ve got, right now, seven pumps running,” said White.
Following neighbor complaints, the city of San Diego investigated and concluded the water was coming from a natural source.
“The City’s Stormwater and Public Utilities departments have investigated the situation extensively, conducted multiple tests, and determined the excess water is not due to a leak or failing City infrastructure. The City doesn’t plan to take any further action,” a city spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement to CBS 8.
The city investigation did mention a water-main break in January 2024 along Meadowrun Street. Neighbors told CBS 8 the huge water main in that area pumps water uphill to the Black Mountain Water Tank and into a nearby cement water reservoir, owned by the city of San Diego.
“We've got to give come up with some answers for the residents,” said Kate Glenn, the president of the Rancho Penasquitos Town Council, who said the source of the water flow remains a mystery.
“My message to the city of San Diego is let's not play ping pong anymore. Let's come to the table, work this out and create a solution for the residents in Rancho Penasquitos,” she said.
Glenn said the San Diego Water Authority plans to do some additional testing of the water flowing into the street.
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