The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has given its support to calls for a two-year study assessing the soil, water and sediment in the Tijuana River Valley with the goal of using the data to once more request a Superfund designation from the Environmental Protection Agency.
In late September the board unanimously agreed to ask the State Water Resources Control Board to fund a study costing $1.4 million to test for heavy metals, pesticides, PCBs, PFAS, hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in the valley that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border.
The request, brought forward by Supervisor Paloma Aguirre and board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, says the assessment would be the first comprehensive contamination analysis of the Tijuana River Valley, which for decades has been affected by the wastewater and industrial pollution from Mexico.
“We hear this all the time: ‘Why another study?,’” Aguirre said, ahead of the board’s vote on Sept. 30. “We need that information so that we can designate Tijuana River Valley as a Superfund site.”
When a polluted area is designated a Superfund site, it triggers Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) efforts to clean up contamination and hold responsible parties accountable.
The county’s latest initiative was announced as the federal government shut down, which directly affects the EPA whose cleanup efforts at certain Superfund sites are expected to continue.
Aguirre said a Superfund designation for the Tijuana River Valley could unlock billions of federal dollars.
“We need to understand what’s in the sediment so that those who are using the Tijuana River Valley — hiking, biking, recreating — can make an informed decision,” Aguirre said. “We need to test during wet weather and dry weather so that we can have a full picture of what exactly is in those soils and sediments.”
Full study cost subject to change
The board request says the study is needed to build an irrefutable scientific record that can compel the EPA.
“The only way we’re ever gonna get the funding we need to clean up the River Valley would be through a Superfund designation,” said Lawson-Remer. “That’s the best and only mechanism to do a proper and thorough cleanup.”
According to the supervisors, the state water board’s Cleanup and Abatement Account can cover the study’s cost.
“They’re waiting, essentially, for us to identify what are the priorities for this fund … looking for our guidance as the local leaders,” said Lawson-Remer.
The county is seeking $1.4 million for the study, Lawson-Remer said.
“We all know what the problem is: Mexico’s dumping raw sewage and industrial waste into our country,” said Supervisor Jim Desmond. “The whole point of conducting the sediment analysis is to compel the EPA to designate the valley a Superfund site so we can have resources and assurances to clean up.”
Earlier this year, the EPA declined to assess whether the Tijuana River Valley could be a superfund site. The agency’s decision was based on Tijuana River data from 2018, which county supervisors view as outdated.
“Their rejection showed us what we need to continue making our case for justice in our community,” said Lawson-Remer.
On Sept. 9, the full board supported Aguirre’s request to implement an epidemiological study on chronic hydrogen sulfide exposure along with an economic impact study to assess ramifications to small businesses, property values, and regional tourism.
According to Aguirre, the Superfund designation would be another way to hold Mexico accountable because it would require the EPA to pursue the polluters.
In April, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited San Diego and announced binational plans with Mexico to solve the sewage crisis.. In July, Zeldin signed the U.S.’s commitment in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with his Mexican counterpart, Alicia Bárcena, to fund and expedite projects by 2027.
“We need to stop the flow of sewage in the Tijuana River entering into the U.S.,” said Desmond who went on to support the item while praising the EPA’s recent work, noting a 100-day sewage plant expansion to treat additional wastewater from Tijuana. “We got to make sure we continue in that effort alongside this study, not in lieu of it.”
“We cannot ignore the fact that exposure through soil contact could pose a serious, long-term health risk,” said Aguirre ahead of a board discussion that garnered full support. “This testing is not optional, it is essential.”
