According to the International Boundary and water commission, a critical junction box is down for repairs at the Tijuana River. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford explains what that means.
Several Coronado beaches were closed over the weekend due to high levels of bacteria in the water, according to the San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ).
Beach closures affected the shoreline from the U.S.-Mexico Border to Coronado's North Beach, also known as Dog Beach. Areas affected included the Imperial Beach shoreline and beaches along the Silver Strand. They remained in effect Monday morning.
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WATCH HEREThe DEHQ advises beachgoers to avoid the water in these areas as they may cause illness. The department says that the areas will remain closed until sampling and environmental conditions confirm that they are safe for water contact.
Bacteria levels are tested daily by the DEHQ. The latest water contact closures and advisories are on the DEHQ's Beach and Bay Water Quality Program website.
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SIGN UP The water quality announcement came after the International Boundary and Water Commission said that Mexico would release up to five million gallons per day of untreated sewage into the Tijuana River for up to five days.
The wastewater discharge is a result of the need to repair a critical junction box part of the International Collector Project, according to the IBWC.
On Saturday, Mexico notified the IBWC that they turned on one pump at the PBCILA station in order to stop some of the wastewater flowing into the Tijuana River while they are working on the repairs. The IBWC says that although this helps mitigate the amount of sewage released into the river, there is still a substantial amount of wastewater being released.
Local
As of last night, MX is discharging 5MGD wastewater into #TijuanaRiver as part of a Junction Box repair, part of MX's Intl Collector proj - MX advises 5 day release. #USIBWC is requesting MX take action. Read statement here: https://t.co/4HWkVJVsag@leezeldin @EPA @StateDept pic.twitter.com/2pygbjkbPv
— U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (@usibwc) April 10, 2025
Earlier this week the director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that he will personally inspect the sewage crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border within the next two weeks.
