SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Residents and businesses in and around the South Bay's Tijuana River Valley area are being warned of the potential release of “a large volume of polluted water” down Smuggler’s Gulch.
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board said Thursday in a Facebook post that the contaminated water could be released “any time once the blockage in the culvert under Highway 1 in Matadero Canon (Tijuana) is removed.”
According to officials, there are “over 300,000 cubic meters of water and trash” backed up in the canyon.
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Officials said it’s possible Monument Road and properties near Hollister Avenue could be impacted by the release of the water.
Monument Road could potentially be closed for safety reasons, officials said.
San Diego city and county leaders have been trying for years to find ways to solve the issue of sewage flowing from the Tijuana River into local waters, forcing beach closures due to health and environmental concerns.
The recent U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal includes about $300 million earmarked to address cross-border pollution.
