Reaction by the public and elected officials was immediate last week in condemning a 143-million-gallon sewage spill that emanated from the Tijuana River over a 17-day period which concluded Feb. 23, 2017. The spill, the amount of which has been confirmed by Mexican officials, polluted beaches in San Diegos South County from Imperial Beach through and including Silver Strand State Beach, Coronados Central Beach and NAS North Island.

Perhaps most galling of all, the massive sewage spill was apparently intentional and reporting of the incident to U.S. agencies was delayed by several weeks. The massive sewage spill began when a wastewater collector failed at the convergence of the Tijuana and Alamar Rivers, as repairs were conducted for the first four days in February. As of March 2, 2017, U.S. and Mexican representatives on the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) have promised a full-scale investigation of the sewage spill, which is being called the largest of its kind in San Diego County history.

Last Thursday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m., a press conference and public protest rally was held prior to the scheduled IBWC meeting at 301 Caspian Way in Imperial Beach. The city of Coronado was represented by Mayor Richard Bailey along with City Councilmembers Whitney Benzian and Bill Sandke. Benzian said, It was a great turnout of both Coronado and I.B. residents. Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina led it off and spoke to the crowd, then David Alvarez, who is on the San Diego City Council representing District 8 which includes the Tijuana River Valley spoke, followed by Mayor Bailey. Then I.B. City Councilmembers Mark West and Lorie Bragg spoke. I love Serges conviction and to me he has the credibility to lead this charge. There are so many Coronado people living in I.B. that there is great synergy. Its great to see us all working together.

Benzian discussed the enormity of the sewage spill. The ocean and the beaches covering the entire strip of Coronado North Island to the border is covered in sewage, which is where our residents swim, surf and socialize. There is a broader concern. I was sitting at the Hotel Del Coronado a couple of days ago, and there were giant yellow Do Not Swim signs posted. Thats not good for tourism or business and that goes for Imperial Beach as well. They have a new hotel and restaurants down there and its not good for business or the community. The bigger issue is that the spill went unreported. Anyone with a nose knew it was happening, but we didnt understand how bad it was. Why wasnt the treaty with the IBWC being honored and the spill reported? They have an obligation to do that and why wouldnt they just tell us? It was cheaper to pump it into the Tijuana River and the ocean instead of diverting it when they were fixing the infrastructure, instead of to a recycling plant. Some people have asked, why isnt the city of Coronado pounding the table? At the end of the day its a federal issue.

Benzian added, The quantity of the spill is outrageous. Were acting like its an anomaly due to the amount. The fact Mexican authorities didnt report back to us is odd to me. Mayor Dedina is the leader on this. He has done a great job of organizing us and he has such good relationships across the border. And suddenly people went radio-silent on him. Its odd and we need some accountability. Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA 52) really jumped on this issue. He was flying back from Washington when the press conference was going on and he sent some members of his staff to attend the rally. Scott has been very good at staying in touch with us. Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA 51) and Peters have combined to write a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Now we need to reach out to Senator Diane Feinsteins (D-CA) office. She has more clout than anybody. With the $1 billion Coronado Naval Coastal Campus being built for the Navy SEALs, its possible they wont be able to train in the ocean.

Benzian said of the immediate ramifications of the sewage spill, The stuff is still loitering around. The Beaches are open, but the water is closed. I dont know how much longer the Do Not Swim signs are going to be up. They are testing the water every day. There was such a massive amount of sewage that its hard to know when the water will be swimmable.

Looking to the future Benzian sees some signs of hope. The mayors of San Diego and Tijuana are spending time together and the Chambers of Commerce are emphasizing biculturalism back and forth, all the time. I am hoping the camaraderie and friendship that San Diego is embracing with the Tijuana Region and the Guadalupe Valley will make a solution more feasible than in the past. Thats why people were so shocked by the silence. Now we should ask, What happened here and how do we fix that? Do we invest in infrastructure (new sewage treatment plants) and let the Mexicans run it? Thats our backyard where everyone recreates. Im glad we have some vocal folks out there.

You can track the current state of the Tijuana River sewage spill by going to http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/data/tracking/IB/. There is an animated gif on the website that displays the history of the spill.

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Coronado Beaches Impacted By Tijuana River Sewage Spill - Coronado Eagle and Journal