Floating trash boom deployed in South Bay's Tijuana River to combat pollution

Local and federal officials on Tuesday celebrated the deployment of a large, floating snake-like divider across the United States' portion of the Tijuana River, which will collect garbage as part of ongoing efforts to reduce pollution in the South Bay.

The floating trash boom, installed in the main channel of the river, is meant to capture debris during storms and prevent it from reaching sensitive ecosystems downstream. The large, floating structures are designed to adapt to the changing topography of the river valley, Oscar Romo, Project Director at Alta Terra and designer of the trash boom said.

"The valley changes constantly every year after the storms," Romo said. "All the hydraulic models that have been done have to be redone because they changed this year. We are prepared and we have started mapping the valley with a drone that produces lighter images, so we would have an exact three-dimensional map of the valley before the storms, during the storms and after the storms."

Romo said he first proposed the project 20 years ago and the border pollution crisis has only continued to grow. The project became a reality thanks to a $4.7 million federal funding grant given to San Diego County two years ago.

"I was waiting for the day that this could happen, whether I was involved or not," Romo said . "But it happened. It's happened today and I'm thrilled."

Romo explained his team uses lab scanners that take pictures every 30 minutes, allowing to recreate the process of several months of storms into just a few minutes, collecting data to analyze and improve future solutions.

"This is again our last resource," said Romo. "And I hope that you'll come back later to visit and see how the trash collects and how this process will improve the conditions of the Tijuana River Valley."

Suzanne Anarde, CEO of the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, said this project is a crucial solution to help capture and remove floating trash before it reaches the ocean. The boom was installed at a key time, just before San Diego's rainy season.

The project is one of several binational efforts to address the ongoing pollution crisis, said Sally Spener, U.S. Secretary and Foreign Affairs Officer of the International Boundary Water Commission.

“Our commissioner meets regularly with Mexican officials to work on solutions,” Spener said. "We are doing a better job at identifying and tracking these flows and their sources through satellite photography and regular binational inspections of the river."

Spener also mentioned the recent launch of a project to rehabilitate and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. Doubling its capacity, the plant will significantly reduce contaminated flows into the Tijuana River, complementing the trash boom’s efforts.

The project, which is in the pilot phase, will be evaluated over the next two years to determine its effectiveness and adjustments will be made to optimize it for future phases.