After many years of frustration, southern San Diego communities are getting encouraging news about the sewage spills from the Tijuana River Valley.
“This is a public health crisis. That’s right. It is a public health crisis. We just have to say it," another demonstrator said. Two weeks ago, during Tropical Storm Hilary, 7 billion gallons of contaminated water flowed from the Tijuana River Valley every day.
“This is not a new problem. It's getting worse with the pollution and the increased number of people in TJ, and they haven’t done anything with the infrastructure,“ demonstrator Cheryl Wilson said. A boil water advisory was issued for two days after E.coli contaminants were found in the water supply, affecting more than 100,000 people.On Monday, 20,000 gallons of sewage spilled onto Hollister Street after a South Bay pumping station failed. “Save the beach, stop the sewage. It's tragic we can’t swim my local beach,” demonstrator Alberto Hurtado said.“Twelve miles of beaches in San Diego County closed. It would be like having every beach from OB to Torrey pines closed,” former Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said. At the start of the demonstration, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the federal government is pledging $350 million more. Additionally, the EPA is signing contracts for the rehabilitation and expansion of the wastewater treatment plant in San Ysidro and other associated projects. Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey says it will take double that investment but that the commitment is extraordinary. “By the EPA now entering into these contracts, it kind of accomplishes both objectives. It gives contractors the confidence they need to move forward, and it gets Congress on the hook for appropriating these funds in the future,“ Bailey said. Before they left, the crowd, not entirely ready to trust the federal government, collectively formed the international sign for distress, SOS, in the sand. The Mexican government expects to solicit a contract to build a new wastewater treatment plant, which will reduce the amount of untreated sewage into the ocean. In November, Mexico will finish repairing a major wastewater pipeline near the border that will also help reduce contamination in the water. NBC 7's Kelvin Henry spoke to a professor who explains how sewage leaks contaminating water in southern San Diego County can impact the region in the long term.
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