The Tijuana River runs on both sides of the border. It flows into the Pacific Ocean on the USA side. There’s a water treatment plant there to clean things up a little before it flows into the ocean, the river estuary being its outflow.
A few weeks back, a pipe burst, and for 17 days raw sewage flowed downriver into the ocean. Residents in the area new something was up, the odor on the air telling them so. Nevertheless, it wasn’t “discovered” before 143 millions gallons of human waste went into the Pacific. Was it treated? Apparently not. When it rains around here, there’s too much water flow for the treatment plant to operate properly, so the water gets diverted away and continues its path to the ocean. With all the rain we’ve been having in these parts, it seems that the water’s been flowing free, meaning not going through the treatment plant.
Human health concerns abound from Imperial Beach south of San Diego city all the way down to beaches below Ensenada, Baja, Mexico. Bottom line, it’s not safe to get in the ocean right now. Signs are posted everywhere, advising people to not swim, surf, etc.
Nevertheless, people still do. It doesn’t mean you can’t go for a walk, though! Strangely, if you didn’t know of what happened, the ocean still looks beautiful, and the breezes feel great on your face.
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