San Diego County rejects shot at millions of dollars to clean polluted Tijuana River Valley

SAN DIEGO ( Border Report ) — On Tuesday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors rejected a notion that could’ve resulted in millions of dollars and other resources to clean up the badly-polluted Tijuana River Valley, a decision that baffled and disappointed Paloma Aguirre and other political and community leaders in the area.

“It’s frustrating,” said Aguirre, mayor of Imperial Beach.

She wanted the County of San Diego to declare the valley as a “Superfund Site,” meaning the federal government and Environmental Protection Agency would have to start an investigation into the pollution and sewage problems in the Tijuana River Valley.

There are hundreds of these sites throughout the country.

“There’s up to 52 billion dollars in this funding,” said Aguirre. “Once they start the process and find pollutants of concern, they begin the cleanup and remediation process.”

However, the county voted 3-2 against the idea. Supervisor Nora Vargas, who represents the district where the valley is located, was among those who rejected it.

In a statement, she said she understood the intent behind the Superfund designation but that it “didn’t guarantee funding and could create more barriers for our already affected communities.”

The statement emphasizes the impact on local initiatives, stating, “The process is lengthy and complex, potentially taking decades before any meaningful cleanup begins. Initial assessments can take three or more years, and if a site qualifies, it may be years before cleanup efforts even start. This poses a significant risk of delaying and potentially halting local initiatives already in progress, further impacting the health and well-being of residents in our region.”

But Aguirre, whose city is most heavily impacted by the raw sewage, toxic waste, and other materials flowing in from Mexico, told Border Report, “This is a tool in the toolbox that needs to be used.”

She said 300 people asked the supervisors to declare the valley a ‘Superfund Site,” forcing the EPA to launch an investigation.
Before any “Superfund Site” money can be awarded, the EPA needs to determine the extent of toxic materials in a given area, which can take years to conclude.

Aguirre said that given the level of pollutants in the valley, there is no time to waste.

“There’s no reason to delay this; we are already in an emergency.”
According to Aguirre, her constituents and others who live near the valley put up with constant health issues such as headaches, breathing problems, and nausea.

Last month, researchers made a disturbing discovery that high levels of hydrogen sulfide were detected from sites where the sewage-tainted water churns in the valley.

Hydrogen cyanide was also found in the air, although it was determined later to be a false reading.

“The federal government and the EPA need to get involved,” said Aguirre. “We have other cases like Carson, California, Flint, Michigan, and Louisiana — we have an even worse case scenario because we have not just one or two types of pollutants, but hundreds, and we don’t even know the extent of how long we have been exposed to these pollutants or what effect they’re having.”

The federal government has already allocated more than $300 million to replace an outdated wastewater treatment plant, work that could take up to five years to complete.

The “Superfund site” designation and ensuing investigation could have delivered more funding for other projects along the Tijuana River Valley. They would have also created programs to help people affected by the sewage and toxic materials.

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