SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Recent rains have caused sewage-contaminated runoff to enter ocean water along Imperial Beach, San Diego County health officials announced Friday.
An existing water contact closure of the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge coastline has been expanded to include all of Imperial Beach's coast, according to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health.
Due to recent rainfall, county health officials said sewage-contaminated runoff from the Tijuana River entered the Tijuana Estuary. Water samples and observations caused officials to believe the contamination has reached ocean water in the South Bay.
Signs and warnings have been placed in the area until water samples indicate the ocean is safe for recreational use once again.
RELATED COVERAGE:
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- Rep. Darrell Issa and Rep. Juan Vargas introduce Tijuana River Valley sewage legislation
The contamination is just the latest in a saga of sewage contamination from the Tijuana River Valley that has affected the Imperial Beach this year.
South Bay leaders and residents have repeatedly called for a solution to toxic waste spreading into San Diego County's waters from Mexico since a massive sewage spill in the Tijuana River in February.
