Residents react to air purifier raffle system in Imperial Beach

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The endless views and sandy coastline in Imperial Beach have drawn people to make this beach community home for decades.

Rose Reynolds and her daughter Debbie love living in Imperial Beach, but with it comes tolerating the smell of sewage coming from the Tijuana River Valley.

“As soon as we go to bed we have to close our windows because it smells,” Debbie said.

In an effort to help alleviate the odor and bacteria in the air, the County of San Diego invested $100,000 to purchase just over 400 air purifiers for residents living in these three zip codes in the South Bay.

It’s part of a program spearheaded by Chairwoman Nora Vargas.

This month, all 414 air purifiers are being distributed.

Interested residents were entered into a lottery system, which didn’t agree with a lot of locals.

“I just really thought people with asthma or something needed it more than I did,” Rose said.

“I do agree it should be going to people that don’t have the finances, we have a lot of low income people in the South Bay,” Debbie said.

Just over 3,400 residents entered the lottery. Selected residents are now receiving emails with pickup information.

“I do know one lady that said she got it, her daughter comes and visits, she doesn’t live with her, but her daughter is extremely asthmatic, she said it’s going to be a big help for when she is staying with her, so I was glad that she won it,” Debbie said.

But Debbie says this is a far cry from solving the cross-border sewage crisis in their backyard.

“I don’t want see them to giving more air purifiers to solve for this, I want them to find another way and get it fixed,” Debbie said.

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