EMMA PIRHALA / NEWS EDITOR

Local beaches are facing advisories and closures due to increased levels of bacteria in the water. Mission Bay’s North Cove was among the list of polluted waterways, with an advisory issued on July 25 and concluded in late August. Other popular beaches such as Pacific Beach and Del Mar’s Dog Beach had brief advisories within the last month. As of Sep. 24, there are advisories in La Jolla, Carlsbad, and Coronado. Protests occurred on Aug. 30 in Imperial Beach, as hundreds expressed their concern for pollution. 

The County of San Diego’s Recreational Water Monitoring Program places an advisory on a beach if testing finds coliform or enterococcus bacteria in their samples. High levels of  bacteria may indicate fecal contamination, which could cause sickness from contact with the water. While a waterway is under an advisory, warning or closure, the County Department of Environmental Health and Quality recommends that residents avoid contact with the contaminated water. 

USD sophomore Iggy Wozniak explains his fears about the beach closures. 

“I had no clue that there were closures at our beaches” Wozniak said. “I will usually surf at Mission Beach and knowing that polluted water is so close to me at Imperial Beach definitely makes me think twice about where I am surfing.It is crazy that San Diego has such beautiful beaches but they might be dangerous to us, with getting diseases and everything.” 

San Diego is no stranger to closures, with La Jolla’s Children’s Pool having an advisory since 1997 and other beaches like the Tijuana Slough and Imperial Beach being shut down for over a year. 

The cause of San Diego’s pollution crisis lies across the border at the Tijuana River. For decades, the River has faced rampant contamination caused by influxes of sewage. San Diego Coast keeper reports that 31 billion gallons of untreated sewage, trash and polluted stormwater have infiltrated the Tijuana River. 

The failure of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tijuana is a result of rapid urbanization in the area and rising binational tensions following the border shutdown under the Trump administration. The treatment plant, constructed in the 1990s as a joint venture between the U.S. and Mexico, is no longer able no longer able to clean the increased amount of wastewater. 

Sign on a local beach warned beachgoers of polluted water. Photo courtesy of @TimesofSanDiego/X

Despite pinpointing the issue, solving water pollution at our border is a legislative issue requiring collaboration from both the U.S. and Mexico. On June 4, the mayors of San Diego County addressed a plea for a state of emergency to be enacted to decrease pollution from the Tijuana River. 

“This environmental disaster is causing profound social, economic, public health, and ecological damage,” the letter read. “The magnitude of this crisis continues to escalate and demands the full mobilization of state resources to bring greater accountability and expedited solutions to this ongoing disaster.” 

However, Governor Gavin Newsom remains reluctant to declare a state of emergency. Due to hindering legislation, the governor’s office has little control over the  federally controlled area in which the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant lies. Previously, Newsom advocated for federal measures to be taken in order to solve the sewage crisis. 

“I write to reiterate my strong support for inclusion of $310 million in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill or final FY 2024 appropriations package to address the Tijuana River crisis,” Newsom wrote in a letter to Congress. 

Yet, no federal action has been taken to alleviate pollution in San Diego County.

 On campus, seniors Bridget Murphy and Leah Fikermariam serve as co-presidents of  USD’s chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, an organization that aims to protect oceans through policy and service. 

“At USD, we’re trying to raise a lot of awareness,” Fikermariam explained. 

“We bring in speakers from Surfrider so that we can have interaction with the foundation. And then, of course, the cleanups that we do, which are usually like three to four a semester to try to directly engage USD students in cleaning our beaches,” Murphy continued.

“I think a lot of [Surfrider’s] impact is our support to the foundation or our cleanups that we host ourselves or that we attend. One of the impacts of beach cleanup is not only like you’re cleaning up beach that day, but you’re getting inspired to do more about it by being around people who are similarly motivated. And just seeing the pollution first hand, it’s very impactful,” Murphy said.

Although much needs to be done to address pollution at our border, local authorities provide many resources to residents to track bacteria in the waterways. More information regarding the testing and status of local beaches can be found at the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality website. at www.sdbeachinfo.com.

Residents protest water pollution in Imperial Beach. Photo courtesy of @CoronadoIsland/X