DATE:
October 27, 2026 17
TO: Board of Supervisors Title
Adopt a Memorandum of Agreement with the City of San Diego and Advertise and Award a Construction Contract for Saturn Boulevard Pipe Extension Project and Related CEQA Exemption (District: 1)
Body
Overview
The Tijuana River Valley (TJRV) and surrounding South Bay communities have suffered severe and prolonged impacts from untreated sewage flows, urban runoff, and associated toxic airborne emissions. These conditions pose a significant threat to public health, environmental resources, and local economies, causing repeated beach closures and other hazards in nearby neighborhoods. In response, the County of San Diego (County) Board of Supervisors (Board) has taken multiple actions as part of an aggressive multi-agency strategy to address this environmental and public health crisis. On June 27, 2023 (16), the Board proclaimed a local emergency and has reaffirmed that declaration 26 times. On June 24, 2025 (10), the Board established the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis (now the Standing Committee on the Tijuana River Pollution Crisis) to evaluate and advance urgent solutions, including infrastructure projects to mitigate “toxic hot spots” beginning with the Saturn Boulevard crossing area.
Turbulent water flows at the Saturn Boulevard culvert crossing are known to release hydrogen sulfide gas and other pollutants into the air, causing health risks for residents in the surrounding community. A feasibility study prepared by Dudek in January 2026 identified both immediate and long-term infrastructure solutions to address this area. The near-term solution it identified is the Saturn Boulevard Pipe Extension Project. The proposed pipe extension system will attach high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe extensions to the outlet of selected existing drainage culverts at the Saturn Boulevard crossing, extending them below the water surface in the downstream pond. By discharging the...
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