It was a full house at Wednesday’s meeting the Imperial Beach Council held to address the sewage crisis where dozens of community members voiced their concerns.
“A lot of people are wondering, you know, are asking why the Tijuana River smells so bad,” one person said.
“We have the right to clean and clean air as humans,” another Imperial Beach resident said.
These were just some of the dozens of concerns community members voiced hoping to reach a solution.
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The crisis has been impacting the South Bay for decades.
In 2022, congress allocated nearly $300 million to the International Boundary and Water Commission to repair and upgrade the wastewater treatment plant on the U.S. side. According to the IBWC commissioner, it needs at least $900 million. Since then, Mexico agreed to allocate $144 million to repair its outdated Punta Bandera sewage plant and has already contributed 30% of that amount.
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“Now, they’ve committed to completing the repair of that plant by this year September 30, which means if that source of pollution is eliminated, we might have our beaches reopen next summer,” Mayor Paloma Aguirre said.
Mayor Aguirre and other local leaders traveled to Washington D.C. earlier this year to bring this issue to the forefront of congressional leaders. Since then, congress has designated another $156 million to the IBWC. A commissioner with the IBWC said that money will go toward the rehabilitation of the South Bay plant.
The panel also discussed the impact the crisis is having on the community’s health and environment. A professor with San Diego Public Health said water tests and studies have detected a substantial number of contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, pathogens, and up to nearly 400 different chemicals, of those more than 150 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers toxic. Although some progress has been made, Aguirre said there is still a long road ahead.
“Part of the plan, the comprehensive solution that EPA already determined is the best solution for this has yet to be completed, the Tijuana River diversion for treatment. That element of the project has not been completed yet and we still need additional funding for that,” Mayor Aguirre said.
The commissioner with the IBWC said they are cautiously optimistic about the progress they have made so far, they are working diligently and that process takes time.
