Date:
September 1, 2026
13
To:
Board of Supervisors
Title
Launching the County of San Diego's Tijuana River Capture and Cleanup Initiative (Districts: All)
End
Overview
The Tijuana River Valley pollution crisis continues to impose significant and far-reaching environmental, economic, and public health burdens on communities throughout San Diego County. The situation has escalated into an entrenched regional emergency marked by?chronic infrastructure failure and severe transboundary contamination polluting?water, air, and soil?in the Tijuana River Valley.
Between 2018 and 2026, more than 200 billion gallons of polluted water crossed into the United States through the Tijuana River, carrying sewage, industrial chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, and "forever chemicals" into the river valley and coastal waters.i Hydrogen sulfide levels at the Saturn Boulevard hot spot have reached 16 times state air quality standards. Residents report respiratory irritation, headaches, nausea, and psychological distress, while UCSD Scripps researchers estimate water pollution causes roughly 34,000 illnesses annually in Imperial Beach alone.ii iii
Our Congressional delegation has stepped up, securing more than $650 million to double the capacity of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP), a critical win, and the County of San Diego (County) strongly supports finishing that work as fast as possible.iv
But even with that investment, our communities remain exposed. The SBIWTP treats sewage that Mexico captures and conveys to it. It does nothing to address river pollution once it crosses over the border. After sixty years, that is the gap that has no solution: the U.S. side of the Tijuana River is not treated at all. Once sewage and toxic runoff are in the river, nothing protects our coastlines and communities from the impacts.
The infrastructure that would stop pollution at its source sits on the other side of an international border, subjec...
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