During the seven months from February to September of last year, a total of 253 Navy SEAL candidate water training sessions took place in the waters surrounding Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
That’s 253 instances where trainees were pushed to their mental and physical limits in the same waters where millions of gallons of untreated sewage is polluting the ocean each day as a result of the Tijuana River sewage crisis.
A Feb. 7 management advisory from the Department of Defense’s inspector general found that only 12 training exercises for North Island SEAL candidates were relocated even though water samples during that time showed levels of enterococcus bacteria exceeding state safety standards.
In addition, Naval Special Warfare Command did not relocate, reschedule or cancel three SEAL candidate events during Hell Week from Sept. 3 to Sept. 8, 2023 – the defining physical endurance test of BUD/S training.
“We found that the amount of enterococcus bacteria in the water exceeded state safety levels in 146 of 192 tests (76%) conducted on samples retrieved from the beach north of NAB (Naval Amphibious Base) Coronado and 27 of 36 tests (75%) conducted on samples retrieved from the beach south of NAB Coronado,” the report reads.
Enterococcus may cause headache, neck stiffness, fever, lethargy, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.
While it is not possible to determine how many sailors contracted the sickness during training exercises, the Navy said that between January 2019 and May 2023, 1,168 cases of acute gastrointestinal illness were diagnosed among Navy SEAL and special warfare combat crew candidates at NAB Coronado.
“Of these cases, 457 (39%) were diagnosed within 7 days of exposure to ocean water that exceeded state limits,” the report continued.
In a 60-Minute interview from 2020, retired SEAL Steve Viola said training in the sewage-contaminated waters wreaked havoc on his health. “Stomach aches, throwing up, I mean, coming out both ends, fever,” he said.
That was in 2020. Five years later, untreated wastewater is still dumping into the ocean, although funding to fix the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant has been secured, and SEALs are still training in the same waters.
The inspector general issued two recommendations to Naval Special Warfare Command: develop a policy for monitoring water bacteria levels and implement notification procedures; and relocate, reschedule, or cancel water training when the bacteria levels exceed state health standards.
Rear Adm. Milton J. Sands III, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, concurred with both recommendations and said they will be implemented no later than Dec. 31, 2025.
Sands said the Navy will continue using San Diego County’s Beach and Bay Water Quality Program as its basis for measuring bacteria in the water. But, his response noted that as a federal agency, it retains the flexibility to determine standard operating procedures “independent from state requirements.”
“Additional analysis would be required to determine fiscal impact of relocating from the area, rescheduling, or canceling in-water training evolutions when bacteria levels exceed state health standards,” he added.
According to Naval Inspector General Vice Adm. John Fuller, it will be no small endeavor to cancel or relocate 75% of water training activities from the beaches at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
A Naval Special Warfare spokesperson said the unit has access to multiple training locations capable of simulating operational environments, although they did not specify where.
“If a training site is unsafe, NSW (Naval Special Warfare) implements mitigation strategies to reschedule or relocate evolutions to minimize impacts to training,” the spokesperson said. “NSW’s top priority is conducting training evolutions safely and using the resources available to make informed decisions. As a learning organization, NSW continues to assess procedures in place to enhance safety and operational readiness.”
