SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego's Congressional delegation Friday called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support San Diego County's Air Pollution Control District in its task of monitoring air quality in neighborhoods near the border.
In early September, high levels of noxious gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide were measured by scientific teams in the river valley and noticed by residents due to the rotten egg smell even miles from the border. Ultimately, crews from San Diego County determined there was no immediate health risk, but many residents believed the crisis had reached a turning point.
"In the past year, researchers discovered that toxins and bacteria from the Tijuana River can be aerosolized and become airborne -- unveiling an apparent threat not only to our water ecosystems, but the air in our communities," wrote Reps. Juan Vargas, Scott Peters, Sara Jacobs, all D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point in a letter to the EPA. "A recent heat wave in the region intensified the odors, and led constituents to report that the fumes have caused them to wake up in the middle of the night."
"The [Air Pollution Control District] needs additional resources to ensure that they can properly measure and respond to the reported increase of noxious fumes," the letter continued. "That is why we are requesting that the EPA deploy whatever available federal resources to assist the San Diego County APCD with establishing a network of reference-grade monitoring equipment that can provide precise and real-time data."
The San Diego Congressional delegation secured $400 million in federal funding to improve and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. Earlier this year, the delegation called on President Biden to declare a federal state of emergency to help address the pollution.
Additional pleas to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control from the lawmakers and county officials succeeded in getting the CDC to begin a health assessment to determine the impact of the Tijuana River Valley sewage pollution crisis this week.
The county and CDC are working together on a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response or CASPER. A total of 210 households were selected from a larger 30-block section of homes near the border to participate in the survey.
"This assessment is a vital tool in addressing the public health crisis caused by sewage pollution in the Tijuana River Valley. By sharing your experiences, you are helping us gather the information we need to secure more resources and ensure the safety and well-being of our families," San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said. "I strongly encourage all residents to participate and make their voices heard."
Teams will arrive in small groups and will carry identification to reassure residents of their official role in this effort. They will be wearing reflective vests, and are bilingual in English and Spanish. Interviews will be anonymous and take around 15 minutes.
Visits will run through Saturday between 2-7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
"It is important to hear directly from people who live near the Tijuana River Valley," said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the county's interim public health officer. "If you get a knock on your door in the next couple of days from a CASPER interview team, please speak with interviewers and provide your honest answers."
Responses will be used to guide decisions moving forward with the river valley and the people who live near it.
The San Diego City Council recently approved a resolution asking for a national emergency regarding the sewage outflow at the border. The council had approved 31 years of consecutive extensions of a local state of emergency on the situation.
The council first declared a state of emergency because of the pollution -- ranging from raw sewage to industrial runoff -- in 1993. Imperial Beach put out a similar declaration in 2017, followed by the county in 2023.
Since October 2018, the United States section of the International Boundary and Water Commission has catalogued more than 200 billion gallons of toxic waste coming into the United States through the Tijuana River Valley. According to a city document on Tuesday's resolution, the commission has spent just $4 million of $40 million allocated for infrastructure maintenance at the broken South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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