SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A way for San Diego County residents to virtually track pollution from the Tijuana River in South County went live Monday, providing a real time update on beach water quality and sewage odor.
The interactive dashboard can be accessed at https://tjdashboard.netlify.app/, and it compiles data from multiple websites with the intention of providing more frequent updates to the frequently changing information.
Odor complaints and hydrogen sulfide levels for communities near the river valley are provided by the regional Air Pollution Control District. It was developed with UC San Diego's Resilient Shield, a team "collaborating to integrate advanced computing techniques like forecast modeling to facilitate informed decision making," according to a county statement.
"This new dashboard reaffirms our commitment to the South Bay communities most impacted by the sewage pollution by providing pertinent information all in one place that they can take action on or be informed about," said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the county's interim public health officer. "I want to thank our partners with UCSD and APCD for their help in making this happen."
In recent years, the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem has closed beaches and caused serious health issues for some residents. Untreated wastewater from Mexico's Tijuana River crosses the border into the United States and washes out to sea just south of Imperial Beach.
The bacterial buildup from raw sewage in the wastewater has necessitated the closure of South Bay beaches almost without interruption for three years.
While focused on South County, the data actually reaches up to San Clemente, providing a one-spot stop to help plan beach visits even for beaches north of Interstate 8.
The dashboard also includes information about what the county knows about the ongoing pollution stemming from Mexico, a list of efforts locally, at the state level and federally to improve the situation and even a section on what residents can do to help themselves -- such as reporting sewage or other pollutant spills and health precautions.
While the county has funded daily beach water quality monitoring in Imperial Beach, Silver Strand and Coronado since 2018, it has also more recently begun checking overnight hydrogen sulfide levels which can cause odors and potentially health problems.
Guidance on those odors issued last year recommends that people who live in affected areas and smell the odors limit outdoor activities when they are bothersome, keep doors closed, increase air circulation with indoor fans and use air purifiers indoors. APCD offers free purifiers for those in the three principally effected ZIP codes.
According to the county, people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or other chronic lung conditions should have emergency medications such as rescue inhalers readily available. If symptoms from a strong odor persist, are worrisome or worsen, seek medical care.
Last week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin visited with San Diego leaders and got a first-hand look at the persistent sewage issues plaguing the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the issue needs to be resolved with "extreme urgency."
Zeldin's trip also included a meeting with Alicia Bárcena, secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico, and other Mexican officials for what he said was a discussion "about ending decades of raw sewage entering the U.S. from Mexico."
"It was clear in the way that the Mexican environmental secretary approached every aspect of this meeting yesterday ... that she wants to have a strong collaborative relationship," Zeldin said. "... I welcome that collaboration."
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