March 9, 2017

A disastrous sewage spill originating from Mexico occurred in February contaminating south county beaches as well as the San Diego Bay. U.S. officials were not notified of the spill in a timely manner which caused further impacts and anger within the region.

An investigation has been launched to determine when the spill occurred, quantify how much sewage spilled, specify the characteristics of the sewage, and identify problems in procedures to notify the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission and the public.

The U.S. IBWC Citizens Forum for the San Diego-Tijuana area, of which Chamber VP Paola Avila is a member, met with affected community members and have issued a letter to the IBWC commissioners urging them to make sure the report of the investigation included specific, actionable recommendations that address both communication and management/infrastructure failures.

The Chamber is working closely with various government officials to address this issue including Imperial Beach Mayor Dedina and San Diego Councilmember Alvarez who will be joining us in Mexico City later this month and leading discussions with the federal environmental agency. We will share the report findings once released as well as updates on discussions with government leaders.

This incident further highlights the importance of binational collaboration and communication. We not only share an economy and a constituency, we share water and air which do not adhere to any borders or walls. The public health impacts of this incident are significant, but can be avoided or minimized by working together.

See also the following letter signed by Reps. Scott Peters and Juan Vargas on this issue.