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The Falconer

The Falconer
The Falconer

Tijuana River sewage and pollution

The County of San Diego and Center for Disease Control and Prevention is performing a health survey from Oct. 17 to 19 to investigate sewage and pollution issues in the Tijuana River Valley and its impact on South Region communities in San Diego.

The survey, the “Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response,” involves randomly selecting homes in the region to conduct a total of 210 “in-person, voluntary and anonymous” interviews regarding impacts of sewage exposure on residents and their families. The county officially requested an Epi-Aid, or an urgent, rapid response investigation from the CDC on June 25 in response to the worsening Tijuana River sewage crisis and longstanding transboundary pollution issues between the United States and Mexico. 

From October 2023 to May 2024, San Diego Coastkeeper, a nonprofit environmental organization, reported 31 billion gallons of untreated sewage and waste flowing into the Tijuana River and coastal waters. The Tijuana River ranks ninth on America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2024 report. 

In light of mounting public health concerns, the San Diego State University School of Public Health released a report on Feb. 13, detailing the dangers of pollution to soil, water and air from pathogens and chemicals carried by the contaminated river. The SDSU SPH received a grant from the Prebys Foundation to continue research on the public health impacts of pollution. In addition to assisting the CASPER initiative, the school is also conducting its own year-long survey.

Air quality in the region is also impacted. Besides coming directly from the source, pathogens and chemicals from polluted ocean water can disperse further inland through marine aerosol. The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District reported receiving “hundreds of odor complaints” from local communities. Currently, the agency is monitoring hydrogen sulfide gas, an odorous byproduct of untreated sewage known to pose serious health risks. The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency is also tracking emergency department visits for gastrointestinal, asthmatic and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms in the area.

By collecting information from residents, the CASPER initiative aims to identify the region’s specific needs as it faces the far-reaching impacts of Tijuana River pollution, which span land, air and sea. On Oct. 3, volunteers distributed information about the upcoming assessment door-to-door in affected South Region neighborhoods. 

by Sarina Feng

 

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