An Explosive Problem That Won’t Go Away

Some problems go away if you ignore them--but not the 69,000 pieces and rounds of ammunition that are estimated to lie buried in the canyons of Tierrasanta.

Through court documents, Times staff writer Jane Fritsch recently chronicled how the City of San Diego and the developers of Tierrasanta ignored the dangers of building a large residential community atop a World War II artillery range. But the danger remained, just below the surface of the canyon lands around the homes. In 1983, two Tierrasanta boys were killed and another was injured when a live artillery shell they were playing with exploded.

The city and the developer, Christiana Cos., recently settled with the families for more than $6 million, and after numerous superficial sweeps of the canyons, the federal government is now considering a deeper cleanup of the land.

But, in spite of the deaths and the settlement, requests from the boys’ parents for warning signs in the canyons have gone unheeded. In fact, the city steadfastly refuses to put up signs.

City officials say enough is being done to alert parents and that signs “would not add anything.” They also say that a consultant, whose name they cannot remember, said that signs might attract, rather than scare off, children.

Both arguments are puzzling in an era when warnings are increasingly being ordered by government agencies. Packaging, billboards, even grocery stores carry signs about the dangers of various products. Sewage spills bring warning signs at the beach.

The city did not admit liability in its record $2.5-million settlement with the children’s families, but such a settlement would seem to strengthen the argument for signs.

Some residents of the neighborhood have argued against the signs, presumably over fears of lowering property values. This concern, while understandable for homeowners, should not override the city’s responsibility to warn canyon users of the lethal ammunition that often surfaces after rains.

Signs should be posted. The canyons are inviting playgrounds and may never be entirely free from the danger of their previous military use.

But the danger can be reduced. The Army Corps of Engineers is awaiting Pentagon approval for a plan to use metal detectors to search for buried shells.

And the city has issued new guidelines for Tierrasanta development, which prohibit grading until the land has been searched and cleared.

Both steps, along with the signs, are long overdue.