Every week we see a new headline about the sewage crisis.
Whether it’s reports of beach closures, announcements of broken infrastructure, personal stories, politicians touting newly secured funding, or proposals for new ways to solve the issue, we have all heard about the issue ad nauseum.
And rightfully so. The untreated sewage dumping into the Pacific Ocean is affecting the economy, the environment, and the health of residents in Coronado and South Bay.
So who is responsible for getting this issue solved once and for all?
The map above, highlighting the wastewater infrastructure on both sides of the border, shows that the answer to that question may not be that simple.
There are a lot of different players in the game: The United States, Mexico, binational agreements, the EPA, the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, the County of San Diego, city leaders, and community advocates, to name a few.
To add to that list, county supervisors just started an initiative to build an entirely new treatment plant (pictured in grey), separate from the South Bay plant, to treat sewage coming from the Tijuana River since the current plant (pictured in blue) only treats wastewater captured in Mexico.
The exact location and total cost is not yet estimated, but the county is spending $1.8 million on an engineering analysis to determine the project’s feasibility. Long-term funding could come from the half-cent tax increase measure you’ll see on your November ballots.
There are enough agencies and groups involved to make your head spin, and enough to realize that kudos are necessary for all those trying to get involved and help in some way. And yet, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to declare a state of emergency for the crisis.
The map, if anything, does not provide a solution, but rather highlights the complexity of the problem we have on our hands. Again, we’re left questioning the best method moving forward.
