Tijuana River Pollution: Forum Set For Thursday Evening

IMPERIAL BEACH, CA – The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission will hold a public forum Thursday to discuss pollution in the Tijuana River and its effects on coastal waters.

Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey is expected to give a presentation on the effects of water pollution in Coronado as well as the city's strategy to ensure the continued safety of coastal waters. North American Development Bank CEO Salvador Lopez will also present the results of a study analyzing re- routing the Tijuana River to keep it from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sewage flows in the Tijuana River have polluted waters off the county's southern coast for decades, prompting routine closures of the shoreline as far north and Silver Strand and Coronado.

Local and state officials have also filed lawsuits against the IBWC over the last year, alleging negligence for the health and safety of county residents.

The county's Department of Environmental Health has a standing water contact closure from the southern end of Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach to the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge.

Rain can exacerbate coastal pollution issues by washing pollutants from the river further north.

The forum is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Tijuana Estuary Meeting Room at 301 Caspian Way. Residents can also call the IBWC's office at 619-662- 7600 for more information about the meeting. Details here.

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-City News Service