The San Diego County Board of Supervisors this week directed public health staffers to assist a local task force that is investigating whether airborne pathogens from Tijuana sewage are causing illnesses in Imperial Beach and the South Bay area.
Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer signed a policy directing Public Health Service employees to gather data on residents exposed to sewage-contaminated waters, specifically via airborne contamination.
“The purpose of this policy is to empower our county health experts to make more health data available in order for us to have more tools in our toolkit to expand the way we respond to public health threats,” said Lawson-Remer, whose district includes Coronado.
Last year, the county supervisors declared a state of emergency over the ongoing sewage crisis.
Congressional leaders in March passed an appropriations bill which includes $156 million more in construction funding for the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) to expand a treatment plant and infrastructure.
But calls for action continued last month when all 18 San Diego City area mayors called for more federal and state assistance. Specifically, they asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health to investigate the effects of cross-border pollution on public health.
Scripps Institute of Oceanography studies show sewage associated bacteria can be aerosolized by the ocean waves, said Lawson-Remer, and three quarters of the bacteria in Imperial Beach comes from the aerosolization of raw sewage in the surf zone.
“If we are able to uncover new data that proves aerosolized sewage-associated bacteria is negatively affecting the health of people in San Diego County, this gives us more leverage to go after federal funds to fix the Tijuana Sewage Crisis,” said Lawson-Remer in a statement following the vote.
Joined forces
Since the start of the year, Imperial Beach has worked with local doctors, university researchers and non-profits to develop a task force group.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said they shared their concerns about residents’ sickness with the county in order to provide residents with resources and interventions.
According to Aguirre, the county’s Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ) staff will use their expertise to understand the connection between medical and environmental exposure.
“My hope is, one, let’s get the people the care they need if the data is showing that there’s a serious issue. And then, two, it will make our case stronger for our calls for action and for a state of emergency,” said Aguirre. “We’re very much looking forward to partnering on this project and making sure that we do everything we can to ensure people’s safety.”
To do so, Aguirre said, the first action item will be to roll out a community health survey by San Diego State University (SDSU)—part of the task force’s objectives to collect input from community residents who believe they’ve been sickened by airborne sewage pathogens.
This survey will be followed by county actions of the following:
- Launch a first-of-its-kind community health survey examining health impacts beyond direct water exposure.
- Develop a Tijuana River public health risk dashboard with information and guidance for residents.
- Develop local decontamination protocols for sewage contaminated floodwaters.
- Collaborate with the task force to develop data sources to track sewage-associated, non-reportable diseases.
- Request ZIP code-level data from California Breathing, a state Department of Public Health program.
- Communicate with other agencies – including San Diego Regional Water Control Board, Air Pollution Control District, CDPH, and CDC – to increase surveillance and testing.
- Pursue additional support to assess the economic and public-health impacts of the sewage crisis.
County staff are expected to report back to the board quarterly with recommendations for further action to support these initiatives, according to Lawson-Remer’s office.
Earlier this year, a report by SDSU said there was a possibility that contaminated air from the nearby Tijuana River outflows could “potentially increase the health risks of local community members without any direct water contact” in nearby communities.
In a March 27 letter, HHSA told Aguirre that from a public health perspective, the County Public Health Services Department did not find that South Bay region medical data reflected significant increases in GI illnesses and related emergency department visits.
This followed a Sept. 27 alert to the department about an uptick in gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses as reported by South Bay Urgent Care in Imperial Beach.
“We all know that sewage exposure causes illness,” wrote Kimberly Dickson and Matthew Dickson, doctors at South Bay Urgent Care, in a letter leading up to the policy vote this week. “We need the help of the health department, and their voice, and most importantly their power.”
At the board meeting this week, residents of Imperial Beach and Coronado told of being sickened by Tijuana sewage, demanding action by public officials. They also complained about the stench that permeates their beaches and community.
“Millions of gallons of sewage flow have harmed our ecosystem and threatened the safety and quality of life for communities and families on both sides of the border, particularly at the Tijuana River Valley, Nestor and Imperial Beach, and of course Coronado,” said Vargas as she introduced the policy.
At a June 4 meeting, the board approved a campaign to seek funding for a program to provide South Bay residents with air purifiers.
Vargas added that water quality testing, upgrading stormwater infrastructure and analyzing public health data are all part of the county’s ongoing efforts.
“We must have the scientific data to truly understand the consequences of the continuing environmental disaster,” said Coronado City Councilmember John Duncan.
