International Boundary and Water Commission officials said the storm overwhelmed the border sewage plant’s ability to treat storm runoff. San Diego clean water officials said that could mean violation notices are in order.
“We have equalization tanks to store some flow during the surges but they were getting close to overflowing,” Morgan said. “And we actually bypassed our secondary treatment for a period of about 10 hours.”
State water quality officials say they will likely issue clean water act violations, but the state’s authority is limited.The state cannot fine a federal agency for violating a discharge permit, which sets guidelines for what the federal government can and cannot do at the sewage plant. San Diego Regional Water Quality Control officials also cannot punish the federal government for polluted flows that enter the United States through the Tijuana River channel.Two people brave the rain and wind as Tropical Storm Hilary hits Imperial Beach on Aug. 20, 2023“We simply have to get that water out of the river and into a treatment plant,” said David Gibson, the executive director of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre has intensified calls recently for California Governor Gavin Newsom and the Biden Administration to declare states of emergency because of the persistent cross-border flows. That could free up state and federal funding to work toward a solution.
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