SAN DIEGO -- Work began Friday to clear clogged flood control channels in the Tijuana River Valley to help prevent flooding in advance of expected El Nino winter rains.

The San Diego City Council declared a state of emergency for the Tijuana River Valley last month at the urging of Council President Ben Hueso, who represents the area, and authorized $4.4 million in stormwater funds to dredge several of the river's clogged drainage channels.

"This work is being done to protect life and property," Mayor Jerry Sanders said. "Clearing these channels will help keep flood waters away from the farms and homes in the area and will help us avoid the impacts we experienced following last year's storms."

Last year, floods inundated the Tijuana River Valley area with contaminated water, caused substantial property damage and contributed to the death of horses and other livestock.

The flooding problem has been blamed on the recent completion of a border fence that created high earthen slopes that lack adequate run-off controls and led to the deposit of sediment and debris.

Work includes removing trash, debris, sediment and overgrown vegetation along a 1,600-foot-long span of the Smuggler's Gulch channel and along 5,400 feet of the pilot channel that drains into the ocean.

Workers will also rebuild portions of a 400-foot-long flood control berm east of the Hollister Bridge.

The work is expected to be completed by Feb. 15.