Printer-friendly version
Flooding in Fashion Valley Jan. 1, 2026 Photo by Nadin Abbott By Miriam Raftery, with additional reporting by Karen Pearlman
Jan. 3, 2026 (San Diego County) – Heavy rains that doused our region on January 1st set all-time records in several local communities.
It was the wettest New Year’s Day on record for Lake Cuyamaca (2.69 inches), El Cajon (2.52 inches), San Diego (2.08 inches), Campo (1.72 inches) and Chula Vista (1.38 inches).
The heavy rains helped alleviate drought concerns, but also brought flooding to river crossings in Mission and Fashion Valley. In Spring Valley, Chollas Creek overflow flooded a storage facility.
Kristine Alessio, part of the ownership group for Quarry Self Storage near the Spring Valley Swap Meet, said the creek overflowed on Jan. 1 and affected at least 84 units in the facilty. She said San Diego County has been aware for more than a decade about the issue.
"We have been warning the county," Alessio said.
Alessio said the Quarry group sued the county last year for breach of the contract the parties had to keep the creek clean so that the 400-unit facility, built in the 1990s, would not have the problems related to the flooding that is facing again today.
There is a biological open space easement near the property, which came in order to mitigate for the building of state Route 125. In exchange for that, per the terms of the easement, the county was supposed to maintain the creek area around the storage units, Alessio said.
Flooding at Quarry Self Storage in Spring Valley, video still (below right) by Craig Maxwell
"We started noticing back in 2015 that the creek was not being maintained," she said. "And in emails with the county, we kept saying, 'You need to clean out the creek.' The creek is supposed to be free of Arundo donax, or what i call bamboo, which kills out the native plants that are in there, and free of trees and this and that. We kept telling them they need to clear the creek out, and they said they'd get to it..."
Arundo donax is a highly invasive, bamboo-like grass found throughout San Diego County creeks. It can grow up to 4 inches a day and reach heights of 20 to 30 feet, quickly forming dense thickets that clog natural waterways.
Most of the people with storage units at Quarry are vendors selling items at the swap meet. The same storage facility also flooded during last year's rainstorms in February and was affected as well by the torrential flooding that happened throughout the county in January 2024. Previous flooding has caused $1/2 million in damage. Some of the tenants who were affected also filed lawsuits against San Diego County.
ECM reached out to the county and to County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe for comment.
"Since there is active litigation on this, we are unable to comment," Donna Durckel, Communications Officer for Land Use and Environment Group with the County of San Diego, wrote in an email to ECM.
Looking ahead at the weather
Isolated light showers are forecast today and tonight west of the mountains, with most desert areas remaining dry.
A new weather system will move in Saturday, the National Weather Service predicts, increasing the chances for rain again over the area, with yet another band moving in Late Saturday into the early morning hours Sunday. Off and on showers will continue through at least Thursday as an unsettled weather pattern hangs out over the area.
Despite substantial precipitation, San Diego County’s mountains are not expected to have snowfall in the upcoming storms.
Residents should continue to monitor local weather alerts and avoid driving through flooded roads.
"Turn around, don't drown" remains the critical safety message.
Recent comments