The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote next week on whether it will host a panel discussion on ways to solve the Tijuana River pollution crisis.
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, acting chair of the Board of Supervisors, intends to request the board’s support of the public meeting in a letter that details a public brainstorming session with other agencies and organizations.
The proposed meeting would feature a half-day of presentations this spring, designed to get stakeholders and agencies on “the same page,” said Lawson-Remer during a Jan. 21 announcement at the County Administration Center.
“First step is building consensus on the board that we want to take this on,” she added.
Should board members approve the meeting, the county will invite representatives from agencies such as the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the San Diego Air Quality Pollution District, as well as stakeholders from Mexico.
“Some of these agencies are already doing really good work … so it’ll be an opportunity for them to talk to the public and explain what they are working on,” said Lawson-Remer. “Other agencies could do a lot more, but they’ve really been on the sidelines, so this is hopefully gonna be an opportunity to get them involved.”
“The county’s really never stepped up and said ‘As the lead public health agency in the region we need to bring all the stakeholders together and try to coordinate better,’” she added.
A full picture approach
The region has seen more than 100 billion gallons of untreated sewage from Tijuana flowing into the ocean and contaminating south San Diego County beaches, threatening public health. As of December, U.S. agencies have so far approved more than $650 million for wastewater treatment facilities.
In the letter to colleagues, Lawson Remer said persistent air pollution, beach contamination, and ecological degradation are continuing threats that require a full picture and improved communications from stakeholders.
The goal of the proposed meeting would be to identify “innovative solutions” that would result in “meaningful, lasting change” that protect the health and water in the region including addressing immediate air and water quality impacts in addition to long-term pollution and hazardous substance remediation in the River Valley, it reads.
