DATE:
September 9, 2025
17
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
ENHANCING REGIONAL EFFORTS AND FEDERAL ADVOCACY TO ADVANCE SOLUTIONS TO THE TIJUANA RIVER SEWAGE CRISIS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The Tijuana River sewage crisis has had profound impacts across multiple shorelines and surrounding communities in our region for decades, especially the communities of Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, southern San Diego, and Coronado. The coastal waters of numerous San Diego County Beaches and the Tijuana River Valley have been contaminated by continuous flows containing raw sewage and industrial waste from the Tijuana River. On July 22, 2025 (4) the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors (Board) renewed its proclamation for the existence of a county-wide local emergency due to the Tijuana River sewage crisis for the 17th consecutive time. Ultimately, this is an issue of systemic neglect that has persisted due to chronic failures and inadequate capacity of wastewater infrastructure on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. Since December 2022, the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has recorded over 89 billion gallons of toxic sewage-laden water crossing the border into the United States. Imperial Beach has been closed for over 1,300 consecutive days, representing one of the longest and most severe beach closure runs in the history of the United States. This ongoing crisis threatens public health, marine ecosystems, the local economy, and recreational opportunity for tens of thousands of people living in South Bay. This crisis is resulting in lasting negative health impacts to children and families and serious economic harm, impacting small businesses and the workers who rely on these jobs for their livelihood. This issue can no longer be ignored or treated as a nuisance to be swept away or kicked down the road. This is a full-scale public health and environmental emergency demanding immediate, sustained binational action fro...
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