Beaches as far north as the Hotel del Coronado have been closed following weekend showers that flushed sewage-polluted water through the Tijuana River and into the Pacific Ocean.

The closures, which started Sunday, also include the shorelines of Border Field State Park, Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial Beach and Silver Strand.

Such impacts have increasingly infuriated South Bay residents in recent years as Tijuana’s sewage infrastructure continues to buckle under the weight of the city’s housing boom.

Beaches as far north as the Hotel del Coronado have been closed following weekend showers that flushed sewage-polluted water through the Tijuana River and into the Pacific Ocean.


The closures, which started Sunday, also include the shorelines of Border Field State Park, Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial Beach and Silver Strand.

Such impacts have increasingly infuriated South Bay residents in recent years as Tijuana’s sewage infrastructure continues to buckle under the weight of the city’s housing boom.

In addition to pathogens found in sewage — including bacteria such as E. coli, vibrio and salmonella — there are several viruses and intestinal parasites that can cause everything from diarrhea to meningitis to respiratory infections.

Under dry conditions, pumps on the Tijuana River divert flows of sewage-tainted water from emptying into the river valley. However, according to federal authorities, the system’s capacity is overwhelmed by nearly any rain event and requires shutting down to prevent damage.


This month, the cities of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista, as well as the Port of San Diego filed a Clean Water Act lawsuit against the federal government in an attempt to force the funding of projects to divert and or treat the polluted water.

The lawsuit alleges that the U.S. side of the International Boundary and Water Commission, or IBWC, hasn’t taken sufficient steps to control sewage, industrial waste, pesticides and massive amounts of trash that regularly flow through the Tijuana River and into the Pacific Ocean.

According to the complaint, sections of the Imperial Beach shoreline were closed for more than 160 days in both 2017 and 2016, as well as for more than 200 days in 2015 as the result of such contamination.

IBWC authorities have countered that they’re actively pursuing binational solutions to limit the water pollution. The agency oversees water treaties with Mexico and facilitates infrastructure spending along the border.


Before the two countries spent hundreds of millions of dollars to construct treatment plants on both sides of the border two decades ago, up to 10 million gallons of raw sewage a day flowed down the Tijuana River and into San Diego County.


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