ESCONDIDO — The Escondido City Council unanimously ratified a local emergency declaration Monday to address severe water contamination in Escondido Creek caused by a nearby homeless encampment, authorizing $4 million from city reserves to clean up the area and improve public safety.
City Manager Sean McGlynn declared a local emergency on Dec. 15 after tests showed elevated bacteria levels in the creek near Harmony Grove, where the encampment, known as “The Jungle,” has grown over the past year.
Assistant City Manager Chris McKinney reported that emergency service calls in the creekbed area nearly tripled in the past year, rising from 24 to 64 calls.
Water quality testing revealed Coliform bacteria levels two to three times above acceptable standards for human contact and Enterococcus bacteria levels seven to 14 times higher than safe levels. At one location near the encampment, Enterococcus levels were found to be 23 times the acceptable standard.
“This has nothing to do with the drinking water supply,” McKinney clarified.
The elevated bacteria levels, human waste and debris prompted the city to move forward with immediate cleanup efforts. On Monday, crews removed 120 cubic yards of trash from the site.
A fence will be installed to prevent further contamination, and additional cleanup phases will follow.
“This is not an overnight process,” McKinney said. “While you will see progress, ratifying the emergency order, securing necessary resources and connecting people with support services are essential first steps.”
The emergency declaration allows the city to accelerate cleanup efforts, coordinate with nonprofit and regulatory agencies, and address the environmental and public health risks stemming from the encampment.
Emergency efforts include collaboration with local nonprofit service providers, regulatory agencies and community partners, including Turn Behavioral Health Services, North Inland Mental Health Center, Serenity House, Interfaith Community Services, YMCA Transitional Aged Youth Services, Office of Homeless Solutions; Neighborhood Healthcare, Love Esco, McAlister’s North Inland Regional Recovery, San Diego Rescue Mission and Acadia Healthcare Comprehensive Treatment Center.
A second cleanup phase will begin once fencing is in place to restore the area’s environmental health.
City officials emphasized their commitment to supporting those affected. Outreach teams will assist displaced individuals by partnering with local organizations such as Interfaith Community Services, the San Diego Rescue Mission, and Serenity House.
The Church of God Escondido will serve as a staging area for services.
“We understand the sensitivity of this issue, especially during the holiday season,” McGlynn said. “Our goal is to balance urgent environmental, public health and safety needs with empathy for those impacted by these actions.”
Unhoused individuals in the encampment were given a 24-hour notice to leave before cleanup crews began their work. The city manager said all those who accepted shelter beds were accommodated, but several declined assistance and must now find alternative places to stay.
Mayor Dane White said the cleanup has been successful but highlights the region’s failure to prevent and address homelessness effectively.
“A huge part of today is a failure of the mental health system and the criminal justice system,” White said, who also committed the city to acquiring more shelter and detox beds in the future.
Neighbors like Christopher Bouchard expressed relief over the city’s efforts to address the creekbed encampment, saying he has faced months of crime on his property, including attempted break-ins, thefts, and physical threats.
“It means a lot that you guys did something,” Bouchard told the council.
JP Theberge, an Escondido Creek Conservancy board member, praised the city’s actions and suggested converting the creekbed into a recreational or open space to prevent future encampments.
“It will improve the quality of that whole area,” Theberge said.
Escondido native Hawkins Sellier opposed the emergency order, expressing concern for the unhoused individuals displaced from the encampment.
“As I look around this room today, unfortunately, I do not see the people who will be most immediately impacted – they’re packing their bags to try to find somewhere to stay,” Sellier said.
Newly elected Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald, a former police officer now representing District 4, said she witnessed individuals treated with respect and dignity during the cleanup.
“It’s not caring to let them stay in a situation with how the environment is there, which can be detrimental to their health, safety and welfare,” said Fitzgerald, who also recalled seeing evidence of drugs, human trafficking and children living in the creekbed at the encampment site located in her district.
