SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The International Boundary and Water Commission says as much as a million gallons of water tainted with raw sewage from Mexico has been flowing daily into the Tijuana River Valley through an area known as “Goat Canyon.”
This is on top of the sewage that normally flows in every day from Mexico.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre says a treatment plant that is being remodeled in Tijuana has been releasing polluted water while the work is done.
It’s one of several projects underway south of the border to mitigate sewage flows.
The IBWC says it is “pushing Mexico to complete these projects as quickly as possible and eliminate or minimize diversions of flow to the Tijuana River.”
IBWC says Mexico estimates that the project will be complete in September.
Compounding the problem is a broken-down sewage pump station north of the border that is off-line getting repaired.
This facility normally takes in sewage-contaminated water and pumps it to the International Wastewater Treatment Plant where it gets cleaned.
A completion date for this work has not been made public.
Goat Canyon is about half a mile from the ocean. Consequently, a lot of the sewage-tainted water coming into the U.S. through this area will get to the Pacific Ocean forcing the closure of beaches in Imperial Beach, California, and others north of the border.
The sewage is also flooding the main road at Border Field State Park, which remains closed to the public.
The park is popular with visitors who want to access the beach and trails in the area just north of the border fence.