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Runoff From Tijuana River Closes Imperial Beach Shoreline

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Christine Huard

The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health announced Wednesday it has extended the existing water contact closure area at the Tijuana Slough shoreline north to include the Imperial Beach shoreline. Sewage-contaminated runoff in the Tijuana River has been entering the Tijuana Estuary, and observations indicate contamination of ocean water now extends from the International Border north to the Imperial Beach shoreline, DEH officials said.

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There Were No Reports of Coronavirus in Yosemite. Then They Tested the Park’s Sewage

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Like a lot of the rural West, Yosemite National Park stood as a safe haven from the coronavirus. No park employees or residents tested positive. No visitors reported being sick. The fresh air and open space seemed immune.

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Research: Non-Flushable Wipes are Flooding Source Water with Microplastics

/in , , /by /Water Onlineby Peter Chawaga

Though the public at large may continue to dispose of non-flushable wipes through their toilets, wastewater professionals are well aware of their propensity for clogging sewer systems and creating expensive issues. But even these professionals may not be aware of another water system problem that researchers are now tracing back to non-flushable wipes.

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Binational ‘Meeting of the Minds’ on TRV Contamination

/in , /by /The Coronado Times

California State Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) convened a half-day meeting at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant on July 9, 2020 between officials from both sides of the border to discuss the binational efforts that are underway to stem the flow of toxic wastewater in the Tijuana River Valley.

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Border Sewage Projects Secure Funding, But Progress Will Be Slow

/in , , /by /KPBS San Diegoby Erik Anderson

San Diego officials are optimistic that a long-term fix to stop persistent cross-border sewage flows is close. There is now money available and more than two dozen projects are already vetted, but it could still be years before the majority of the flows stop.

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Hundreds of U.S. Cities Testing Sewage for Early Signs of Coronavirus Hotspots

/in , , /by /Forbesby Alexandra Sternlicht

Local officials in Oregon, California, New York, Utah, Florida and many other places are collecting sewage samples to test for coronavirus, which experts say could allow for detection of hotspots for the disease before the diagnosis of clinical cases.

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Tijuana Sewage Runoff Prompts County to Extend Beach Closure to Imperial Beach

/in , /by /The San Diego Union Tribuneby Wendy Fry

Water pollution from Tijuana sewage runoff has once again shuttered the Imperial Beach shoreline. The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health on Saturday extended north the existing beach water-contact closure area at the Tijuana Slough shoreline to now also include the Imperial Beach shoreline.

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San Diego and Tijuana Announce Plans to Improve Tijuana River Water Treatment

/in , , /by /KPBS-FM/TV (City News Service)by City News Service

Both United States and Mexican officials announced separate plans Tuesday to upgrade Tijuana River wastewater facilities.

The international river has been a longtime problem for residents of Imperial Beach and Tijuana, as sewage and trash from the river have spilled into the Pacific Ocean for decades, often closing beaches near the border and damaging natural habitats along the river.

The Tijuana River straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, picking up sewage and trash along its winding and cross-border path. Over the last 40 years water- treatment facilities have been overrun with sewage and trash, especially during the rainy season.

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San Diego and Tijuana’s Shared Sewage Problem has a Long History

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Kevan Q. Malone

In January, President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law, replacing the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new trade pact is set to go into full effect July 1. Thanks to House Democrats from Southern California, the legislative act governing its implementation in the United States will provide $300 million for infrastructure to stop the chronic flow of sewage across the international border from Tijuana, Mexico — an ecological peril highlighted on a recent episode of “60 Minutes.”

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As Some States Reopen, Studying Sewage Could Help Stop the Coronavirus Pandemic

/in , , /by /USA Today Networkby Dinah Voyles Pulver

In hundreds of cities across the USA, scientists hope monitoring systems will provide an early warning if coronavirus infections reemerge as communities in some states cautiously reopen.

These monitors don’t rely on testing patients or tracing contacts.

All that’s required? Human waste.

Over the past few months, private companies and university researchers have partnered with communities to collect sewage at treatment plants and test it for the presence of the novel coronavirus. The results are reported to municipal governments and state health officials to help them monitor the situation.

Testing wastewater can reveal evidence of the coronavirus and show whether it’s increasing or decreasing in a community, said Ian Pepper, a professor and co-director of the University of Arizona’s Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center, one of the groups tracking the virus through different municipal sewage systems.

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