The Trump Administration last month blocked key federal agencies from communicating with local governments and some San Diego-area officials are worried that efforts to address Tijuana sewage pollution may be stymied.
Surging wastewater from Mexico has created a plethora of public health problems, contaminating and shutting down south county beaches and spawning air pollution in border communities along the Tijuana River Valley.
The White House directive put a pause on communications from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health on Jan. 21, according to the Washington Post.
In the aftermath of a pause expected through at least Feb. 1, San Diego County spokesperson Tim McClain told the San Diego Union Tribune key federal agencies such as the CDC could no longer “participate in County-related matters.”
On Feb. 4, the county said it is monitoring the ongoing situation wherein all communications from federal agencies related to the sewage pollution have stopped.
“We will do everything in our power to restore communication between public health officials, our local governments, and the public if this pause is extended,” said Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat whose congressional district includes Coronado. “The people want to know if they are unsafe and what precautions they can take during a public health emergency. The most dangerous thing we can do is leave them in the dark.”
The communication hiatus comes weeks after the CDC, which is part of the HHS, announced it would assess levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air near the Tijuana River. A recent CDC report found that 77% of South Bay residents view Tijuana River Valley pollution and ocean sewage as threats to public health in the region.
The data was drawn from a survey of area residents which the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency conducted last fall with assistance from the CDC.
In October, the county also conducted a similar survey regarding chemical exposures in the communities along the river valley, according to the county interim public health officer, Ankita Kadakia.
But now those results are in abeyance, McClain added.
Peters, a former environmental attorney, described the freeze on external public health communications as “deeply troublesome.”
“We know it has already temporarily stopped federal agencies from working with our local public health officials on the vital health study they are conducting to measure the effects of the cross-border pollution crisis,” he added. “Any further delay is unacceptable.”
The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment from The Coronado News.
Maria-Elena Giner, U.S. commissioner with the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), said the communications freeze has not affected her agency’s efforts to address the sewage crisis to date, including crucial repairs and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Ysidro.
“The USIBWC has a robust and expansive communications network with all of our stakeholders and we expect that will continue,” said Giner in a statement on Jan. 30.
