LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) — Residents in the South Bay are using their voice for change as the sewage crisis continues. For many, it has changed their daily routine because they believe the sewage is causing health issues.
Robin Micelli has lived in the Nestor neighborhood for nearly a decade. She lives with her husband, two kids and mother.
Micelli thinks of her neighborhood as the perfect place to live. The family enjoys living near Imperial Beach and its scenic beaches, but lately, they are feeling different about that.
"We love the Nestor area that we live on. It's a quiet neighborhood; we love our neighbors," Micelli said. "We still go to the beach. There's lots of fun restaurants and things like that, but we can't go in the water because it's dangerous".
There's concern it is more than just the water that is dangerous. Micelli's youngest daughter battled pneumonia in September, and her oldest daughter has been dealing with severe sinus congestion for five weeks.
However, Micelli said her oldest daughter's congestion only surfaces when they are at home. The family went on vacation for a week earlier this month and her daughter's sinuses cleared.
"I just wonder if it's based off of the poor air quality," Micelli said.
Since the end of November, the San Diego Air Pollution Control District has measured hydrogen sulfide levels above the California safety threshold in the Nestor area more than 15 times. One measurement in that period read at more than 148 parts per billion. The state's threshold is 30 parts per billion.
The hotspot of the sewage smell is off Saturn Boulevard in Nestor at the Tijuana River. That location was also the focus area of a field study led by the Prather Group at UC San Diego.
On Sept. 9, ABC 10News attended a press conference where researchers from UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre presented the initial findings of the field study. Here, they sounded the alarm on the severity of the hydrogen sulfide levels.
"[Readings] were in the ranges of 9 to 12 hydrogen sulfide parts per million on all of these," San Diego State professor Dr. Paula Granados said. "At those levels, this is whenever you start to see dangerous health condition."
The next day, on Sept. 10, I attended a press conference held by former San Diego County Board of Supervisor Chair Nora Vargas where she provided an update on the air quality in the South Bay.
"Our public health officials went out there with UCSD and San Diego State at different times and this is part of an emergency cohort. I think that’s important to emphasize, they went out there to make sure is there something there," Vargas said. "At this time, we’re telling our communities that it’s safe."
This caused confusion among residents in the South Bay. ABC 10News requested the data from San Diego County that was used to deem the air quality safe during the press conference with Vargas.
We compared the research and here is what we found. The focus of this comparison is on measurements taken by the county and UCSD on Sept. 9 in Nestor.
The first table below shows the levels of hydrogen sulfide measured at the Tijuana River on Saturn Blvd.
San Diego County | UC San Diego |
15.5 ppm | ~ 20 ppm |
Both of these measurements are higher than California's safety threshold.
When both teams moved away from the river, this is where the numbers began to differ. San Diego County took measurements 200 feet away and measured no levels of hydrogen sulfide.
This same night, UC San Diego set up a mobile trailer about a half mile away. At one point, the monitors on the trailer measured hydrogen sulfide levels as high as 2100 ppb — 70 times higher than California's safety threshold.
In the new study, UC San Diego took note of the amount of community odor complaints. Sept. 9, the highest day of hydrogen sulfide levels, was also the day the highest number of complaints were filed.
The university's research team determined their data sets supports their belief hydrogen sulfide is entering the community and spread is most severe when there is high river flow and little to no winds. In response to UCSD's study, Micelli said it's terrifying to see these types of toxins entering the community.
ABC 10News reached out to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency about their data taken in September and UCSD's newly published study. A spokesperson said in a statement:
"The County stands by the readings from the HIRT team immediately after the community shared concerns about the possibility of cyanide gas from the Tijuana River. The US EPA and CDPH reviewed the HIRT data and provided public statements agreeing it was accurate. The readings also showed no imminent danger for H2S. The County has not seen the researchers’ report you are referencing and cannot comment on its contents or conclusions."
UCSD believes the biggest takeaway from the study is the numbers confirm the community's concern.
"They are acutely aware and involved in this issue," Rico said. "Their voices are extremely valid and should be listened to."
This study by UCSD is currently under peer review. Most research papers are published after the peer review process, but the university decided to publish the data early because of their confidence in the results and the urgency of the data. This is just the starting point for the univeuniversity'sristy's research into the sewage crisis.
"This moment is an indicator of a major issue and this is setting the stage for our follow-up reports," Rico said. "In such a complex mixture of sewage and industrial waste, there's a lot to be seen."
You can view UC San Diego's newly published study here.