By SOPHIE GABLE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: | Updated:
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93 View commentsA gorgeous Californiacity has been plagued with a foul odor due to a stomach-churning problem in the Tijuana River.
The stink started afterMexicoannounced it was forced to dumparound five million gallons a day of sewage into the river.
Mexico is attempting to replace a section of an ageing sewage pipeline with a newer one made of concrete.
The only way to rebuild the pipeline with minimal pollution was to allow sewage waste to run through the river during the construction.
The International Boundary and Water Commission, a federal government agency monitoring the waterways between Mexico and the US, announced on April 9 that the team in Mexico would be working around the clock to fix the pipeline.
The US side of the IBWC said Mexico had informed them that the decision to dump five million gallons of wastewater a day into the river was a 'difficult decision,' but there were no other alternatives to fixing the sewage problem.
On Thursday, the IBWC said that even though the sewage dump was 'bad news,' the decision was the best way to prevent wastewater from polluting the Tijuana River long-term.
The construction project is on the Mexico side of the river and will be split into two phases, scheduled to be completed by April 17.
San Diego has been plagued with a foul odor and poor air quality due to sewage pollution in the Tijuana River
The Mexico side of the IBWC informed the US that they would be dumping 5 million gallons of waste into the Tijuana River for five days to fix a sewage system problem
Mexico said the dumping was a 'difficult decision' and the best way to fix the sewage problem
As a result of the sewage dump, residents who live alongside the river in Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, Nestor, and South Bay have been faced with pungent smells.
The recent construction has caused an increase in pollution and a foul odor
Officials are advising residents to stay inside, keep their doors and windows closed, and use indoor fans or air purifiers.Residents who live in qualifying zip codes can order an air purifier for free.
Those who have lung conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been encouraged to keep emergency medications on hand as the odor persists.
The Tijuana River has been a major source of pollution for decades, with San Diego Coastkeeper estimating 31 billion gallons of raw sewage has been dumped into the water since October 2023.
The impacts of the sewage have forced beaches to close down and posed a health risk to locals.
In Imperial Beach, the San Diego community closest to the border, public beaches were forced to close downfor over 1,000 days due to high levels of contamination.
The construction has been split into two phases and is scheduled to finish by April 17
The recent construction is the latest news in a string of problems involving the sewage infrastructure near the Tijuana River
The waste problem has resulted in pollution, contamination of public waters, and odors that have caused public beaches to close
The persisting problem was exacerbated in January when the Hollister Wastewater Treatment Plant malfunctioned and around 30,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the river.
Donald Trump's new Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin previously said his department would crack down on Mexico to confront the pollution crisis in the Tijuana River.
A spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom's office said at the time that they would welcome collaboration from the federal government in addressing the pollution problem.
DailyMail.com reached out to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District for comment but didn't immediately hear back.
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