Source link : https://sandiego365.info/2026/01/01/surfer-turned-politician-battles-tijuana-river-sewage-to-protect-san-diegos-coastline/
On clear mornings at Imperial Beach, the waves roll in seemingly pristine, a postcard image of Southern California surf culture. But beneath the surface, an unseen hazard lurks: millions of gallons of sewage-laced water from the Tijuana River, routinely fouling the shoreline and sickening residents on both sides of the border. Decades of international agreements, emergency repairs and political promises have failed to fully stem the toxic flow. Now, a former local surfer who grew up riding these waves is leveraging a new platform in elected office, pressing U.S. and Mexican authorities to confront a pollution crisis that has closed beaches for months at a time and raised alarms about public health, tourism and environmental justice across the San Diego coast.
Tijuana River sewage crisis continues to foul San Diego beaches as health risks mount
Week after week, waves along the South Bay coastline are laced with contaminants flowing from the border, forcing health officials to post near-permanent closure signs on some of San Diego’s most popular beaches. Local hospitals and clinics report a steady churn of patients with gastrointestinal illness, skin infections and respiratory problems that doctors increasingly link to time spent in the water or even walking the shoreline on windy days. Parents now weigh the risks of a simple beach outing, and school surf teams reshuffle practices as the familiar scent of the ocean is replaced by the stench of untreated sewage and…
—-
Author : Isabella Rossi
Publish date : 2026-01-01 22:11:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
—-
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8