Establish a Border Water Quality Protection Unit in San Diego

For decades, billions of gallons of raw sewage, industrial waste, and trash flowing across the US/Mexico border annually have created a public health crisis in South San Diego County and North Baja California.  This cross-border pollution affects our entire region.

• Tens of thousands of people have gotten sick from contaminated water and air
• Our beaches have been closed for more than four years
• Our economy and environment suffer daily

Why it keeps happening:

• The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant that's supposed to handle this sewage is broken and overwhelmed
• There's no steady funding to fix it and keep it running
• One-time federal fixes aren't enough
• There's no existing treatment infrastructure for contamination in the river
• Contaminated water in the main river channel is entering the air through a process called aerosolization, releasing harmful levels of hydrogen sulfide and other dangerous gasses that are making people sick

Why this makes sense:

New access to funding has pushed forward several important infrastructure projects, but without enough staff capacity at the regional water board to write and manage permits, there is a risk that these projects will get held up, delaying critical interventions in the pollution crisis.

Including $1 million from the Waste Discharge Permit Fund to cover the creation of four new positions and establish a Border Water Quality Protection Unit would help prevent a bottleneck of urgently needed projects to curb the toxic contamination that is cuasing illnesses throughout the region.

Learn more about Surfrider's Clean Border Water Now program here.