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Environment Report: San Diego Can’t Spend the $300 Million It Won to Fight Tijuana Sewage Border Spills

/in , , /by /Voice of San Diegoby MacKenzie Elmer

Even though the federal government gave San Diego $300 million to alleviate the decades-long problem of Tijuana sewage spilling over the U.S.-Mexico border, and even though everyone seems to generally agree it should be spent on a bigger border wastewater treatment plant, and even though all the necessary parties seem to be working harmoniously on the plan, the money can’t be spent.

That’s due to some sticky bureaucratic red tape: Congress needs to pass, and the president needs to sign legislation allowing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to give that $300 million check (secured under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement) to the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission.

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San Diego, IB Officials Calling for Federal Action on Tijuana River

/in , , /by /KPBS (City News Service)

A group of local officials from around the county introduced a resolution Tuesday calling on the federal government to take action to stop cross-border sewage flows in the Tijuana River Valley.

The group of officials — including San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, Port of San Diego Commissioner Dan Malcolm and county Supervisor Greg Cox — held a news conference in Imperial Beach to introduce a list of recommended actions, which will be voted on by multiple city councils and boards in the coming weeks.

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Imperial Beach Residents Worry Storm Could Lead To Sewage Spill

/in , /by /ABC 10 News San Diego by Marie Coronel

With rain on the way, there are concerns again about sewage in the water in Imperial Beach.

The first rain storms of the season moved into the region Tuesday, bringing significant rainfall throughout San Diego County along with the possibility of runoff that runs along the Tijuana River.

Residents are fearful that sewage-contaminated runoff from across the border will gush down the into Imperial Beach communities.

As of Wednesday morning, no beach closures were called.

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Opinion: We Must Press California, Federal Officials to Clean Up Toxic Rivers

/in , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sun

Contamination of soil and groundwater takes a huge toll on California’s environment.

In 2017, the amount of untreated sewage and industrial waste dumped into Southern California rivers was equal to at least 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. More than 100 million gallons of untreated sewage were dumped into the Tijuana River near Imperial Beach in September 2019.

The problem is getting worse.

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Body Trapped In Tijuana Pump Station Caused Sewage Spill Into US

/in , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

A body trapped inside a pump station in Tijuana prevented a pump station from diverting sewage south. That caused more than 14 million gallons of sewage to spill across the U.S.-Mexico border over the weekend, federal officials said.

The spill started around 9 p.m. Sunday night and continued until 8 a.m. Monday morning, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission. The trans-boundary flows included treated and untreated sewage.

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Activists Rally For Solutions to Tijuana Sewage Problem

/in , /by /Fox 5 Newsby Merrilee Moore

Activists pushed for action at a rally Saturday morning addressing the toxic flow of sewage from Tijuana into Southern California beaches.

Sewage flowing into the Tijuana River has been responsible for closing beaches an average of 300 days a year. Environmental organization “Stop the Poop” wants to see permanent solutions.

“This is environmental and biological terrorism on the people of the United States of America,” said Stop the Poop Founder Baron Partlow.

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8 Million Gallons Of Tainted Water Foul Tijuana River Valley

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

The United States-Mexico border region is enduring the latest in a series of massive cross-border sewage tainted spills.

Federal officials in charge of monitoring the trans-border sewage situation on the U.S. side of the border said nearly 8 million gallons of tainted water flowed crossed the border in the Tijuana River channel.

The flow crossed the border from 7 p.m. Sunday evening through 10 a.m. Monday.

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U.S. Mayors Adopt Resolution Calling for Increased Funding for Cross-border Sewage Solutions

/in , , /by /Coronado Timesby Managing Editor

The U.S. Conference of Mayors joined Coronado and San Diego today in calling for increased federal funding to tackle Mexico river pollution that plagues San Diego County beaches and other communities along the southern U.S. border.

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Trump EPA Releases Blueprint For Stemming Tijuana River Pollution That Routinely Fouls San Diego Beaches

/in , , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

Shorelines in South Bay San Diego will never be fully immune from the sewage and chemical pollution that flows north from Mexico over the border through canyons and the Tijuana River. However, beach closures triggered by contaminated stormwater and Tijuana’s leaky sewer system can be dramatically reduced — from more than a hundred days a year to perhaps a just few dozen. That was the message last week from President Trump’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which released the most comprehensive blueprint to date for addressing water pollution that fouls shorelines in Imperial Beach more than a third of the year on average.

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Local Leaders Meet With Feds About Tijuana Sewage Spills

/in , /by /Fox 5by Maria Arcega -Dunn

Local leaders and representatives of several federal agencies met Wednesday to look for a solution to the ongoing sewage spills contaminating the Tijuana River Valley and the shoreline from Imperial Beach to Coronado. Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection met with elected leaders from San Diego County, the Port of San Diego and the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Imperial Beach and Chula Vista.

 

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