The Tijuana River () is an
intermittent river
Intermittent, temporary or seasonal rivers or streams cease to flow every year or at least twice every five years. Such rivers drain large arid and semi-arid areas, covering approximately a third of the Earth's surface. The extent of tempora ...
, 120 mi (195 km) long, near the Pacific coast of northern
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
state in northwestern Mexico and
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
in the western United States. The river is heavily polluted with raw sewage from the city of
Tijuana
Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, Mexico.
Location
The Tijuana River drains an area along the
U.S.–Mexico border, flowing through Mexico for most its course then crossing the border into
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
for its lower 5 mi (8 km) to empty into the ocean at the
Tijuana River Estuary
The Tijuana Estuary (or Tijuana River Estuary) is an intertidal coastal wetland at the mouth of the Tijuana River in San Diego County, California, United States, bordering Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It is the location of Tijuana River Natio ...
on the southern edge of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. The region straddles the
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
and
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
zones, so the Tijuana River and its tributaries often go dry in times of drought.
The Tijuana River has two main
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
. One, the Arroyo de Alamar or
Rio Alamar, runs in its upper reaches in the United States as
Cottonwood Creek. It runs from its source in the
Laguna Mountains
The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately .
The mountains have long been inhabited by the indigenous Kumey ...
southwestward where it is impounded by two dams,
Barrett and
Morena, to supply water to the city of San Diego. Cottonwood Creek is joined by the
Tecate Creek before it enters Mexico where it is known as the Arroyo de Alamar from the point where it enters Mexico to its confluence with the larger tributary, the Arroyo de las Palmas, that forms the headwaters of the Tijuana River within the city.
The Arroyo de las Palmas, the main tributary of the Tijuana River, flows out of the mountains to the east into the reservoir behind the Abelardo L. Rodríguez Dam. Downstream from the Rodríguez Dam, water flows through Tijuana in a concrete channel to the international border; there it continues west through the Tijuana River Valley for a distance of about nine miles to the estuary and then to the Pacific Ocean.
Its lower reaches provide the last undeveloped coast
wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
s in
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...
amidst a highly urbanized environment at the southern city limits of
Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...
. The river has been the subject of great concern regarding
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...
,
flood control
Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...
, and U.S. border protection.
Description

The Tijuana River rises in the
Sierra de Juárez
The Sierra de Juárez, also known as the Sierra Juarez, is a mountain range located in Tecate Municipality and northern Ensenada Municipality, within the northern Baja California state of northwestern Mexico.
It is a major mountain range in ...
of northern Baja California, approximately 45 mi (70 km) ENE of
Ensenada. It flows WNW through
Tijuana
Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, crossing the border approximately 5 mi (8 km) from the Pacific. It flows west, just skirting the international border south of the San Ysidro section of San Diego. The lower 2 mi (3 km) of the river form the broad mud flat
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
, and the
Tijuana River Estuary
The Tijuana Estuary (or Tijuana River Estuary) is an intertidal coastal wetland at the mouth of the Tijuana River in San Diego County, California, United States, bordering Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It is the location of Tijuana River Natio ...
is a rich habitat for wildlife, including over 370 species of birds; one of these species is the
Ridgway's rail. It is
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
's largest coastal wetland. It is naturally prone to flooding during heavy rains. The Tijuana River enters the Pacific 10 mi (15 km) south of downtown San Diego at the southern city limits of
Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...
.
The river is an intermittent river, flowing naturally only during rains. The river is impounded in Mexico southeast of Tijuana by the Abelardo L. Rodríguez Dam for
drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
and
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
. Former
Baja California Governor Milton Castellanos Everardo constructed concrete barriers along the riverbank to prevent flooding during his tenure.
The United States was supposed to build a complementary system of barriers to ensure flooding waters didn't flow back into Mexico, but instead adopted a dissipator flood control plan under the direction of the
San Diego City Council
The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of San Diego. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council is part of a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts as th ...
, supported by
ecologists
This is a list of notable ecologists.
A-D
* John Aber (United States)
* Aziz Ab'Saber (Brazil)
* Charles Christopher Adams (United States)
* Warder Clyde Allee (United States)
* Herbert G. Andrewartha (Australia)
* Sarah Martha Baker ( ...
, which preserved the estuary, which was then designated a wildlife sanctuary.
The majority of its watershed is within Mexico, between
Mesa de Otay
Otay Centenario is a borough of the municipality of Tijuana in Baja California, Mexico. It is the result of a merger between the former boroughs of Mesa de Otay and Centenario which took place on January 1, 2014.
The borough is located east of ...
to the east, and hills to the west.
Conservation
Flooding
Flooding in the Tijuana River had been a concern for both the United States and Mexico because it would lead to sewage runoff and would ultimately cause property damage to the surrounding area. In 1944, the
United States-Mexico Water Treaty was signed, this dealt with "utilization of waters in the Colorado and Tijuana rivers and of the Rio Grande." This treaty appointed the
International Boundary and Water Commission
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC, , CILA) is an international body created by the United States and Mexico in 1889 to apply the rules for determining the location of their international boundary when meandering rivers trans ...
to handle several issues such as border sanitation. The IBWC went on to create the Tijuana River Flood Control Project in 1966 in order to create a flood control channels along the river. Mexico had completely complied by 1976 while the U.S. implementation stalled due to opposition at the local level. Despite preventive measures, flooding in 1980 caused 11 deaths and property damage in bordering cities. Flooding due to high rainfall and sewage blockage continues to be a concern that endangers surrounding areas because of the wastewater pollution found in the river.
Nature reserves
The
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve protects and studies the
Tijuana River Estuary
The Tijuana Estuary (or Tijuana River Estuary) is an intertidal coastal wetland at the mouth of the Tijuana River in San Diego County, California, United States, bordering Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It is the location of Tijuana River Natio ...
. It was established as part of the
National Estuarine Research Reserve system in the United States. The reserve is managed in part as a Biological Field Station by the
San Diego State University (SDSU) College of Sciences, which also protects part of the estuary near the ocean within the United States.
The
Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is part of the
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and is also within the Estuarine Research Reserve. The Tijuana Slough Refuge protects one of southern California's largest remaining
salt marsh
A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...
es without a road or railroad
trestle running through it. Designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the
American Bird Conservancy
American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is a non-profit organization, non-profit membership organization with the mission of conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.
ABC is the second BirdLife International partner in the United ...
, over 370 species of birds have been sighted on the refuge.
Salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
have been recorded in the past in the river during
runs.
Wastewater
The river has been used as a wastewater conduit since at least the early 20th century.
Raw-sewage overflows on the Mexican side, from canyons along the river, are a recurring problem despite cross-border efforts to clean it up.
In fact, they are the main source of pollution.
In addition to sewage, trash is carried downstream causing damage to vegetation and contributing to flooding.
The first attempt to deal with sewage flowing into the Tijuana River was the creation of the International Outfall, a
marine outfall
A marine outfall (or ocean outfall) is a pipeline or tunnel that discharges municipal or industrial wastewater, stormwater, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), cooling water, or brine effluents from water desalination plants to the sea. Usually ...
, which was completed in 1939, but was proven to be inadequate as early as the late 1940s.
By the 1950s, there were over 4 million gallons of sewage flowing into the river each day.
Following a threat by the San Diego County's health officer, Mexico began to treat its sewage with chlorine.
Usage of the outfall ended in 1962 due to the completion of a pumping plant, which discharged untreated sewage into the Pacific Ocean; the pumping plant broke down in 1975.
In the 1960s an emergency link from Tijuana into the San Diego Water System was created, by the mid-1980s it was taking in about 15 million gallons a day of sewage. During the 1970s, up to ten million gallons of sewage entered the river each day from Tijuana.
In 1980,
Brian Bilbray
Brian Phillip Bilbray (born January 28, 1951) is an American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Bilbray was Chairman of the House I ...
, as Mayor of Imperial Beach, dammed the river with a
skip loader to block the flow of sewage crossing the border.
Partial progress was made in the 1980s with a
Clean Water Grant from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve
wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...
, by creating the
San Diego-Tijuana Wastewater Treatment Plant to protect estuary waters.
In 1988, the river was found to be the most polluted river on the Mexico–United States border. In April 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found lead and mercury in the waters of the Tijuana River watershed that exceeded multiple times U.S. standards, prompting fears of outbreaks of
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
and
encephalitis
Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include se ...
. That same year in 1990, Mexico agreed to pay $41 million of the $192 million to construct the plant.
The plant was completed in 1997.
Water from the plant is discharged more than three miles offshore, but does not meet levels required by the Clean Water Act due to the lack of secondary treatment.
Finished in January 2011, the plant received a $93 million upgrade. Other sewage that would have flowed into the Tijuana river is treated at the Punta Banderas treatment plant;
it handles 30 million gallons of sewage a day. However, its discharge doesn't meet Mexican water standards, sometimes causing closure of beaches as far north as Coronado.
Since 1993, the City of San Diego has renewed a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
for the Tijuana River Valley due to ongoing issues with the Tijuana River. According to a 1993 report by the city of San Diego, the city had collected an average of 13 million gallons (50 million liters) per day of raw
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewerage, sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged fro ...
, that then was treated by the Point Loma wastewater treatment plant;
this is down from 20 million gallons per day in 1997 being treated by the city of San Diego, which it had received from Tijuana.
Since 1998 the U.S. EPA has funded $42 million on sewage projects in Tijuana.
In 2014, the ''
San Diego Reader
The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in San Diego County, California. Published weekly since October 1972, the ''Reader'' is distributed free on Wednesday and Thursday via street boxes and cooperating retail outlets.
Hi ...
'' described the river as one of the most polluted parts of San Diego, with the beaches near the mouth of the river closed for 204 days in 2013. In 2015, the amount of sewage treated on a dry day remained the same, at 13 million gallons. However, when it rains, the amount of sewage can increase to 27 million gallons per day, and the pump which funnels water to the treatment plant is shut off so it isn't overcome.
Even when the flow is low, toxins, metals, solvents, pathogens, and sewage, end up becoming dust that can be breathed in and cause medical problems.
In January 2017, the Punta Banderas treatment plant, officially known as
San Antonio de los Buenos plant, treated 15 million gallons of sewage a day to standards below U.S. secondary-level standards, pumping the water out into the Pacific Ocean at
La Playa.
Yet, in 2017, it was found by Proyecto Fronterizo de Educacion Ambiental that the release from the plant exceeded Mexico's minimum federal standards on bacterial levels. While Tijuana's sewage capture rate of 90% exceeds the Mexican national average of 50%, Roberto Espinosa of CILA is quoted as saying "Tijuana is a complex city, and it has a sanitary system that has never kept pace with the increase in population,".
Due to the sewage in the river, it has been called "
one of the most polluted waterways in the country". This has led to a multitude of beach closures in Imperial Beach.
Each year the beach at
Border Field State Park is closed for 233 days.
In February 2017, over 143 million gallons of sewage entered the river, larger than the usual few million gallons of sewage that is routine.
Later, the amount of was revised upwards to over 200 million gallons. However, a Mexican water official claimed the spill was only 30 million gallons.
The spill is the largest to occur in over ten years. The sewage spill was not initially reported by Mexican officials, but was noticed by residents on the
South Bay coast. The impact of the spill affected waters as far north as
Coronado Coronado may refer to:
People
* Coronado (surname) Coronado is a Spanish surname derived from the village of Cornado, near A Coruña, Galicia.
People with the name
* Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred t ...
, and was described by Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina as "a tsunami of sewage",
and "deliberate". According to the
International Boundary Water Commission, the sewage discharge was due to a repair of a sewer pipe near
Rio Alamar.
The sewage was first noticed in the middle of the month. Repairs of the sewer pipe were completed in late February 2017, but the exact dates when the sewage began and stopped entering the river were unknown as of March 2017, leading to calls for an investigation. By mid-March 2017, the California Department of Environmental Health found the water quality had returned to within health standards, opening beaches up to Coronado. In mid 2017,
Border Patrol agents reported sewage flowing into the Tijuana River from
Smuggler's Gulch, and
Goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
and
Yogurt Canyons. In all of 2017, beaches near the Tijuana River were closed for 167 days.
In February 2018, following the shutting off of a CILA pump station, a 15 million gallon sewage spill entered the Tijuana River. In March 2018,
Customs and Border Protection began to search for solutions to the sewage issue, after more than six dozen Border Patrol agents were negatively impacted by their contact with sewage in the Tijuana River Valley; this included taking water and soil samples to assess the contamination levels which exist in waters and areas around the Tijuana River watershed. In March 2018, a bi-partisan delegation of San Diego County's members of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
wrote a letter to the
Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State
An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
, to investigate cross-border sewage spills. In April 2018, an earthen berm was constructed at the border across the Tijuana River, to stop sewage from flowing into the United States. In July 2018, environmental groups from Mexico and the United States made a criminal complaint regarding dumping of sewage into the Tijuana River against the state of Baja California. For a week in December 2018, 6-7 million gallons of sewage flowed into the Tijuana River due to a failure of a sewage main in Tijuana.
In early 2019, following
seasonal storms sewage from the Tijuana River flowed out of the Tijuana River Estuary, leading to beach closures in South Bay, San Diego. In February 2019, testing revealed significant pollutants flowing northward from Tijuana including
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
,
hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium (chromium(VI), Cr(VI), chromium 6) is any chemical compound that contains the element chromium in the +6 oxidation state (thus hexavalent). It has been identified as carcinogenic, which is of concern since approximately of ...
, pathogens, and carcinogens. In March 2019, the continuing sewage issue was highlighted by a story appearing in ''
Vice News
Vice News (stylized as VICE News) is Vice Media's alternative current affairs channel, producing daily documentary essays and video through its website and YouTube channel. It promotes itself on its coverage of "under-reported stories". Vice Ne ...
'', where it was referred to as an "environmental disaster". In mid 2019, it was proposed that all water flowing northward on the Tijuana River be
diverted and processed at the San Diego-Tijuana Wastewater Treatment Plant. By late June, over of sewage had spilled into the Tijuana River in 2019. In early September 2019, an additional of contaminated water flowed into the Tijuana River, leading to continued beach closures. In early February 2020, over of sewage flowed into the Tijuana River.
For decades citizens from both
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
and
Tijuana
Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
have fallen sick due to the sewage flowing into local beaches. The most recent data showed that over 34,000 people in 2017 got sickened by the pollution and sewage in
Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...
according to a study that a
University of California San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
professor did.
An estimated 13 billion gallons of polluted water from the
Tijuana River have entered the oceans since Dec. 28, 2022, according to a UCSD statement. For years, public health officials say they have sampled beach waters of south San Diego County for fecal microbes, getting counts as an indicator for pathogens such as
enterococcus
''Enterococcus'' is a large genus of lactic acid bacteria of the phylum Bacillota. Enterococci are Gram-positive cocci that often occur in pairs ( diplococci) or short chains, and are difficult to distinguish from streptococci on physical ch ...
,
E. Coli
''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...
,
salmonella
''Salmonella'' is a genus of bacillus (shape), rod-shaped, (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two known species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' ...
and
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...
. Exposure to such germs and viruses may lead to diarrhea, vomiting, fever, headaches, respiratory illness, infections, rashes and meningitis.
From 2018 to 2024, more than of wastewater have flowed from Mexico into the United States via the Tijuana River according to the International Boundary and Water Commission.
2018 lawsuits
In March 2018, due to sewage in the Tijuana River,
Chula Vista
Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh-most populous city in Southern California, the 15th-most populous city in the ...
,
Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...
, and the
Port of San Diego sued the International Boundary and Water Commission. In response to the lawsuits, Mexico pledged $4.3 million towards Tijuana River cleanup; part of these funds will be used to replace deteriorating pipe in Tijuana that parallels the Tijuana River, which if it fails could release 4 million gallons of sewage a day into the river. In May 2018, California and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board also created a lawsuit against the International Boundary and Water Commission for sewage in the Tijuana River. In July 2018,
Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves and beaches. It focuses on plastic reduction, water quality, beach access, beach and surf spot preser ...
made an additional lawsuit regarding sewage in the Tijuana River. In August 2018, Judge
Jeffrey T. Miller ruled that lawsuits based on the
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...
could proceed, but that lawsuits based on the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the primary federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.United States. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. , , ''et seq., ...
would be dismissed. In January 2019, the City of San Diego joined the lawsuit against the International Boundary and Water Commission.
21st-century water improvement agreements
Over 30 federal, local, state, private and other interested groups want to develop binational long-term goals to address wastewater treatment and debris-related improvements. One major initiative, introduced in the United States on March 16, 2015, was Resolution R902015-0035, a Five-Year Action Plan that aimed to implement restorative projects over the span of five years.
The resolution was initially introduced by the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team (TRVRT), whose ultimate goal is to progress and implement strategies originally introduced in January 2012, under the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Strategy regulatory measures.
Other restorative measures across the U.S. include grants like the Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grant that brings organizations together in conjunction with community-based cleanups to remove trash and debris from the Tijuana River Valley. The debris removal grant began in 2014 and successfully removed over 400 tons of debris by 2016. A binational discussion on July 28, 2016, established upcoming proposed projects between the Border 2020 Tijuana River Watershed Task Force and the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team. These discussions continue the national environmental resolutions agreement under the
1983 La Paz Agreement that acknowledges the environmental and social responsibility of each country near its border regions.
Under this treaty, each country is under agreement to conserve, protect, and improve border regions for the overall well-being of the coinciding countries.
In 2020, the
United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement
The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA)Each signatory has a different name for the agreement—in the United States, it is called the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) ...
was ratified providing $300,000,000 for abating water pollution in the Tijuana River. A significant amount of the money will be spent on improving the International Boundary Wastewater Treatment Plant. In addition, funding was increased to the
North American Development Bank, to funding environmental projects elsewhere on the Mexico–United States border.
Crime
The construction of the
Mexico–United States barrier in the area around and crossing the Tijuana River, began with construction of a fence made of
Marston Mat
Marston Mat, more properly called pierced (or perforated) steel planking (PSP), is standardized, perforated steel matting material developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the ...
in 1989, followed by construction of a secondary fence beginning in 1996. Due to the fences, the amount of
illegal entry into the United States along the border south of the Tijuana River has been significantly reduced.
During the
Mexican Drug War
The Mexican drug war is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing Asymmetric warfare, asymmetric armed conflict between the Federal government of Mexico, Mexican government and various Drug cartel#Mexico, drug trafficking syndicates. When the ...
in June 2006, the severed heads of three
Rosarito Beach
Rosarito is a coastal city in Playas de Rosarito Municipality, Baja California, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As of 2010, the city had a population of 65,278. Located south of the US–Mexico border, Rosarito is a part of the greater San Diego� ...
police officers were found in the Tijuana River.
Areas of the Tijuana River canal are home to individuals described as "ñongo". In March 2015,
a homeless encampment was removed from the Tijuana River canal, some of whom had previously been
deported from the United States; a year later, some of those who had been removed from the Tijuana River canal had returned and began to live in tunnels which drain into the canal. Tijuana is a major resettling location for Mexicans deported from the United States, with some living on the Tijuana River canal. A 2016 study found that the Tijuana River Canal was a known site for where people
inject drugs. In 2018, more than 20 bodies were found in or near the Tijuana River, on the Mexico side.
Recreation
Parks
The Tijuana River Valley Regional Park is located in the
Tijuana River Valley district of San Diego. It protects over , including dense
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...
forests along the Tijuana River. It has an extensive system of trails for walking and equestrian access. In early 2019, construction of a
campground
Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English.
In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...
within the regional park was approved at an expected cost of $8.3 million. As of April 2021, the campground is active and offers sites for tent campers, RVers, and yurts.
Surfing
The
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
of the Tijuana River is the location of the Tijuana Sloughs big-wave
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...
break, which is a mile off shore. Winter waves can be as high as 12 feet or greater; 20-foot-high waves are not unknown to occur.
Surfing has been occurring at the slough since at least 1937, when
Allen Holder began to surf there. It has been described as the "gold standard" in Southern California, with surfers using it as a training ground for surf found in Hawaii. Surfing at the Tijuana Sloughs is written to be similar to surfing at
Saunder's Reef.
Surfing at the sloughs has impacted the evolution of
surfing culture, as well as regional culture.
Lifeguard
A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and Cardiopulmonary ...
s have watched over the area since 1939. Sewage from the river impacts water quality, which can lead to surfers becoming ill; one source describes that area as "virtually unsurfable due to pollution".
See also
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List of rivers in California
*
List of most-polluted rivers
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
San Diego State University (SDSU) Tijuana River Watershed webpageSDSU Biological Field StationSan Diego National Wildlife Refuge ComplexSCCOOS Tijuana River Stormwater Plume Tracking
{{Authority control
Rivers of Baja California
Rivers of San Diego County, California
Border rivers
Borders of California
International rivers of North America
South Bay (San Diego County)
Geography of San Diego
Ocean pollution
Rivers of Southern California