On June 4, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, Port of San Diego Vice Chair Danielle Moore, Coronado Councilman John Duncan, Dr. Paula Stigler Granados with San Diego State University’s School of Public Health, and Lauren Cazares with the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce gathered to compel state and federal action to address the urgent public health emergency severely impacting the South Bay communities of Imperial Beach, Nestor, San Ysidro, Tijuana River Valley, Egger Highlands, South Chula Vista, and Otay Mesa West. In conjunction, all 18 mayors in San Diego County along with regional stakeholders sent letters this week to the governor’s office, making a case for why California must act.
To date, more than 100 billion gallons of untreated sewage, toxic chemicals, trash, sediment, and other pollutants have flowed into the Tijuana River Valley and out into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Imperial Beach. This is causing serious public health issues from polluted waters and airborne toxins, ongoing beach closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado, over 900 days and counting, and negative impacts on the South Bay economy, reported the Port.
“The State can wield its powers to attack this triple threat. California has influence, means, and expertise,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre in a Port of San Diego press release. “We are asking our Governor to declare a state of emergency in order to accelerate the diversion and treatment of the Tijuana River, the primary source of pollution to our south San Diego communities. This project has not undergone environmental review, nor has it received any funding appropriated by congress. Without a state of emergency, we are five to ten years out before we see relief. The funding for the treatment plant was a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t solve our core source of pollution.” said Mayor Aguirre. “Furthermore, the magnitude of this crisis continues to escalate and demands the full mobilization of state resources to bring greater accountability and expedited solutions to this ongoing disaster. We are requesting that Governor Newsom request intervention from the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control to assist in the health monitoring and assessment of the residents in south San Diego communities.”
