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New Monitors Confirm What South Bay Residents Suspected: Concentrations of Sewer Gases Are Above State Thresholds

On an evening in early September, Kylie Carrasco of Nestor said the rotten eggs odor in her south San Diego neighborhood near where sewage pollution spills over from Tijuana became so strong that she found herself in her front yard clutching a hand-held gas monitor she bought on Amazon.

San Diego County’s Mayors Push Newsom for Help With Border Water-Pollution Crisis

The Tijuana River sewage emergency has reached the state level once again.

All 18 mayors in San Diego County have sent another letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, asking for his help to address the ongoing sewage and chemical pollutants flowing into the ocean from the river.

What Would Happen if Tijuana Sewage Crisis is Declared an Emergency?

Saying this is “a pivotal moment that calls for resolute action,” all 18 mayors in San Diego County sent a letter last week to Gov. Gavin Newsom imploring him to declare a state of emergency over the decades-long sewage crisis at the border.

No Reprieve in Sight for Sewage Flow From Mexico as Repair Costs Continue to Climb

Sewage from Tijuana will continue to foul South County beaches unchecked for at least a year before repairs can be made to an aging federal wastewater treatment plant at the U.S.-Mexico border, officials with the binational agency that operates the facility said Wednesday.

Feinstein, Padilla Ask Senate for $310 Million to Address Border Pollution

California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla Tuesday called on U.S. Senate leadership to include $310 million in an upcoming emergency supplemental bill — money that would be used to repair infrastructure to treat raw sewage spilling across the border from Mexico.

Tijuana’s Illegal Sewer Hookups Linked to Cross-Border Pollution

Parque Baja California should be the ideal community park. Mature trees provide shade and benches give visitors a comfortable place to sit and feel the ocean breeze.

But running through the middle of the park is a drainage culvert with water flowing year round.

Supervisors Declare State of Emergency on Cross-Border Pollution, Sewage

San Diego County supervisors unanimously approved a proclamation Tuesday declaring a state of emergency due to pollution and sewage flowing across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer introduced the proclamation, which asks Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden to issue similar declarations, “suspend red tape that may hinder response efforts, and expedite access to federal resources for San Diego County.”

Supervisors Consider Emergency Declaration to Jump-Start Border Pollution Cleanup

Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer are asking the board to declare a local state of emergency over cross-border pollution that has fouled San Diego beaches, in hopes of to expediting cleanup and prompting a federal emergency declaration.

Three Options to Deal With Border Pollution Presented at USMCA Meeting

In 2020 the U.S. government through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) committed $300 million in The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade agreement to identify infrastructure solutions to mitigate the transboundary pollution. Infrastructure solutions for transboundary flows from the Tijuana River have been studied for the past year. The Environmental Protection Agency, which has been tasked with creating solutions, originally proposed 10 possible projects. In time the projects have been narrowed down to three, which were presented during the last virtual public information meeting on Aug. 6.

New Snapshot of What’s in the Tijuana River Is as Gross as You’d Expect

What’s in the Tijuana River?

Ammonia, a byproduct of raw sewage. Phosphorous, an ingredient in soaps and cleaners that’s banned in the U.S. Metals used in the industrial plating industry. Parasitic worms. And DEHP, a chemical added to plastics.