When sewage spills from Tijuana close the South Bay shoreline, Jesse Ramirez can’t sell wet suits or rent out surfboards.

As the owner of the Surf Hut in downtown Imperial Beach, Ramirez can only watch as foot traffic and sales decline. But he doesn’t stress too much. Ramirez learned early on the importance of budgeting for beach closures.

“We have a little sewer day fund,” Ramirez said. “Over many years, we’ve learned to put a safety net so when it does happen, we’re ready.”

When the beach is closed, Ramirez said, sales drop by more than 50 percent, a death knell for some businesses. “It’s already slow in the winter time,” he said. “Then the spills come in, they close the beach and it’s even slower. I’ve seen a lot of (businesses) pack up and leave.”


Sewage spills are as much a part of life in the South Bay as are the surfers who ride the southerly swells. Ramirez has weathered the environmental hardships better than others over the 30 years he’s been in business, in large measure because he’s built a loyal following and a welcoming atmosphere.

The Surf Hut appeals to tourists and locals. The store on Seacoast Drive carries everything from sun screen and beach toys to skateboard and watches.

Ramirez speaks to customers in an upbeat tone typical of Southern California surfers that makes strangers feel like close friends.

Walking into the store feels like walking into a friend’s garage. Customers bring their dogs, who say hello to Ramirez’s golden retriever who likes to sit behind the checkout desk.


Having been in Imperial Beach three decades, some of Ramirez’s first customers now walk into the store with their grandchildren. Last week, a longtime customer stopped by and mentioned he got a new car. Ramirez was so stoked he left the store for a few minutes to check out the new ride.

His dog watched the store from behind the desk.

It was a nice distraction from the decades-long pollution problem that has defied resolution.

Last year, after more than 250 gallons of sewage spilled into the Pacific Ocean from the Tijuana River, water pollution in Imperial Beach became an international news story.


Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego filed a joint lawsuit against the federal government claiming the feds failed to control sewage, industrial waste, trash, and pesticides from flowing into the Pacific Ocean.

The legal battle gained more traction last month when California’s Attorney General and the Surfrider Foundation’s San Diego Chapter filed similar plans to sue the federal government over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.

Although the spills have come to the forefront in the last few years, water pollution has been part of Imperial Beach life for generations, particularly for the local surf community.

“Everybody I know has gotten sick,” said Jeff Knox, 68, a local surfer who taught his son to ride a board when he was four. “I don’t know of anybody who hasn’t and these are the guys who are very careful.”


Knox, who has lived and surfed in Imperial Beach for decades, has seen ear infections, skin rashes, stomach viruses and even hepatitis. His son, Joe, got hepatitis and strep throat in 2012 from swallowing a little bit of water while surfing the Tijuana Slough – a popular big-wave surf spot south of Imperial Beach near the mouth of the Tijuana River.

Knox surfed alongside his son that warm and sunny day. They didn’t realize anything was wrong until after their surf session.

“It really feels like you’re going to die,” said Joe Knox, 36. “It hit me about 10 hours later, in the middle of eating; it felt like all of the blood was draining from my head.”

Knox was hospitalized, recovered, and still surfs in Imperial Beach. Like most Imperial Beach surfers, Knox takes a few precautions before getting in the water. He’ll check the county’s water quality and check the Tijuana River’s flow online.


He’s also learned to read the ocean for signs of pollution such as discoloration along the water’s surface, the consistency and color of the seafoam, and strange smells mixed into the ocean breeze.

Aside from health risks, water pollution disrupts daily life in Imperial Beach.

The city’s surf community is mainly made up of working-class families who have lived in Imperial Beach for generations. Grandparents surf with grandchildren and construction workers get leads on new projects in-between catching waves.

Beach closures eliminate those interactions.


“It sort of eviscerates the fabric of our community and it’s not just surfing; it’s friendships and people,” says the city’s mayor, Serge Dedina, who worked as a lifeguard in Imperial Beach and the Silver Strand to put himself through college. “A lot of guys like me, that’s our social life. All of a sudden that’s gone and then months later you miss everyone.”

It will take years and millions of dollars to keep sewage from spilling into the Pacific Ocean near Imperial Beach.

Some don’t plan to wait. Several of Ramirez’s customers at the Surf Hut have sold their houses and moved north. The ones who have money and can afford a place near the coast will end up moving to coastal communities and keep that beach lifestyle without worrying about the pollution.

But most surfers stay. Partly because it’s too expensive to move anywhere else along the coast, but mostly because they’re loyal to Imperial Beach, he says.


“I think those guys have pretty much built a really good immune system,” Ramirez joked. “They’re glowing at night, but they don’t get affected by it.”

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