Why this matters
San Diego County officials are trying to determine what communities can do to help address pollution from the Tijuana River. The issue is binational, involving Mexico and the U.S. government and wastewater issues on both sides of the border.
San Diego County supervisors will weigh new options to mitigate impacts of the Tijuana River sewage crisis on South Bay communities and may designate a “Sewage Crisis Chief” to coordinate the county’s response.
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer partnered with Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, who is running for the District 1 supervisor seat in an upcoming special election, to take up a version of Aguirre’s South Bay Action Plan for consideration by the county.
The plan reads like a menu of recommendations the county could pursue, including stormwater upgrades to reduce toxic hotspots in the river, upgrades to air filtration systems at schools and daycares and a study on chronic exposure to hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas researchers have already identified as emanating from the river. It also includes an economic impact study.
Lawson-Remer said that decisions on how to allocate the county’s tightening budget have been tough, but “the crisis in the Tijuana River Valley remains especially urgent.”
“Local governments need to step up,” she said.
In a 3 to 1 vote on Tuesday, the board decided to direct the county’s chief administrative officer to review the proposal and recommend which projects the county should prioritize. The vote did not greenlight any of the options in the plan or allocate any funding.
Approved in the proposal, the board will also create a new subcommittee to oversee the county’s efforts, including board members from District 1 and 3 which are the most impacted. It will be spearheaded by someone whose “principal focus” is coordinating public health, infrastructure and funding efforts in regards to the sewage crisis.
Remer said the committee could not be formed until the special election takes place, deciding who will fill the vacancy on the board: Democrat Aguirre or Republican Chula Vista Mayor John McCann. Though county supervisors are nonpartisan offices, whoever wins will decide which political party controls the board.
Supervisor Jim Desmond gave the dissenting vote, saying that the projects in the plan did not address the “root cause” of sewage and industrial waste in the river, which he said was coming from Mexico.
“We don’t need any more studies, nor do we need a sewage chief. We know what the problem is,” Desmond said. “We need to make this Mexico’s problem.”
Supervisor Joel Anderson, who voted for the agenda item, proposed an amendment requiring the report to verify that filtration systems at the schools are effective and to clarify whether or not the air in the region is toxic. Anderson cited discrepancies between the county’s own studies and those conducted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography as the reason for the addition.
The plan recommends the county contribute funds to upgrade HVAC systems at South Bay schools and seek contributions from school districts, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, state and federal grants as well as philanthropic funders.
In a statement issued following the vote, Aguirre commended the decision.
“Let’s be clear — the real solution to this outrageous crisis still depends on Washington and Mexico stepping up. But that doesn’t mean the County should sit on the sidelines and wait while South County families suffer.”
Last year McCann worked with Aguirre to lobby for federal funding for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and led Chula Vista’s efforts to declare a state of emergency in regards to the sewage crisis. In an interview with the San Diego Union Tribune, he called the county’s response to the sewage crisis “very poor” and said he would “ramp up massive pressure on all environmental agencies to act immediately.”
The county will hear the recommendations regarding the plan on Sept. 30.
