IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV)-- As lawmakers work to find a solution to the sewage problem in Imperial Beach, residents are doing what they can to gather critical data on the impacts of the sewage.
"It just permeates everywhere. I hate to say it, but you can taste it and I feel like it’s contributing to our headaches and sore throats constantly,” Bobbi Otero said.
Like many others in the South Bay, the smell from the sewage has become a part of Oteros' everyday life. While she’s hoping a solution is found to fix the problem at the government level, she’s doing what she can as a resident to help pinpoint the impact the sewage is having on neighborhoods.
Otero has agreed to participate in a study organized by UC San Diego.
“I’m excited for [the] UCSD air testing team to come, and I’m really excited to see what numbers they’re going to pull inside of our house,” Otero said.
UC San Diego says they’re monitoring air quality in the neighborhoods near the Tijuana River Valley, setting up monitors around town and inside homes.
This equipment collects various data, including the types of particles and gases in the air.
A mobile van is also equipped with instruments to sample and measure the air directly. Over 300 people have already signed up to keep a monitor at home.
Otero says she’s looking forward to getting the equipment in her house but is also worried about what it will reveal.
“I’m nervous about what am I breathing," she said. "I don’t know if it can be worse than what we’re breathing, then maybe I need to move and sell my house.”
The monitor will stay in Otero’s home for 3-5 days.
