The San Diego City Council is asking the federal government to declare a national crisis on the Tijuana River

After 31 years of continually extending a local state of emergency over sewage discharge in the Tijuana River Valley, the San Diego City Council passed a resolution Tuesday calling for a state of emergency.

The largely symbolic measure passed 7-0 and officially implores the federal government to recognize the local crisis as a national crisis, as well as asking for full funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s infrastructure solution to pollution.

Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, who introduced the resolution and represents San Diego’s southernmost communities such as Nestor, Egger Highlands, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, stated she was concerned for her young child’s health during a particularly egregious incident that occurred during the recent heatwave.

In early September, scientific teams in the river valley measured high levels of harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide, which were noticed by residents for the smell of rotten eggs even many kilometers from the border. Ultimately, San Diego County crews determined there was no immediate health risk, but many residents – including Moreno – believed the crisis had reached its nadir.

“We feel like the federal government has forgotten about us,” she said during Tuesday’s council meeting.

The San Diego City Council first declared a state of emergency due to pollutants – from untreated sewage to industrial sewage – in 1993. Imperial Beach issued a similar declaration in 2017, followed by the county in 2023.

The glacial pace of action left many South Bay residents speaking angrily at the meeting and wondering where the millions of dollars earmarked to address the crisis were going. Others have complained of chronic health problems that they attribute to bacteria and unpleasant odors emanating from the valley.

Since October 2018, the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission has cataloged more than 200 billion gallons of toxic waste entering the United States through the Tijuana River Valley. The commission spent just $4 million of the $40 million allocated to maintain infrastructure at the broken South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to a city document presented in Tuesday’s resolution.

The city even sued the USIBWC to bring the commission into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a total of $300 million was allocated for the construction of wastewater treatment plants. In August, USIBWC announced it would use more than $400 million in federal funds secured by San Diego’s congressional delegation to repair and expand the plant.

“For the past three decades, the federal government has argued that (South Bay residents) are not important enough to take action,” City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said. “I wish this was a problem we could solve ourselves, but it takes the federal government to do that.”

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Republican Juan Vargas of San Diego announced a bill in early September to consolidate all efforts related to infrastructure projects in the Tijuana and New River watersheds under the Environmental Protection Agency. The goal is to avoid further decades of bureaucracy and complete the project, they said.

“It should be an outrage to all of us that in 2024, raw sewage and toxic waste are closing public beaches, polluting the air and threatening the health of our families and the readiness of our military and border personnel,” Padilla said. “By assigning (EPA) a clear role to coordinate with federal, state, local and tribal leaders to maintain the health of the watershed, we bring the full weight and commitment of the federal government to addressing the Tijuana River pollution crisis.”

This bill remains in the House Committee on Environment and Public Works.

In the wake of gas and odors in the South Bay, the County Board of Supervisors has taken action, and Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has asked cities in her northern coastal district to pledge funds to help purchase more air purifiers for residents of South Bay’s coastal communities — claiming that he would combine the donations with county grants.

Board Chair Nora Vargas provided resources and support to the California Air Resources Board.

“This state commitment is a critical step toward securing the necessary resources and partnerships to protect the health of our residents and the environment,” Vargas said. “Our communities have suffered for too long from the harmful effects of cross-border air pollution and it is time we saw real change. Clean air and safe, open beaches should be the norm, not the exception. I look forward to working with our stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions that will bring lasting relief to our binational region.”

Additionally, on Monday, the USIBWC began work on a project to improve infrastructure at an international wastewater treatment plant.

“This is a great victory for our residents, but the fight is not over,” Vargas said.