A campground at the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park is set to reopen as planned on Tuesday after being closed for more than a year, despite a push by a local union to keep it closed.
The SEIU Local 221, which represents park rangers, argued the area was so polluted it posed a danger to the health of people using the park or working there.
The campground is home to a cluster of yurts that offer a temporary home to visiting campers. But it has been closed since much of the area was flooded by winter rains last year.
Tijuana River estuary is a green and peaceful place but it’s gained a reputation for being so polluted by human and industrial waste, from nearby Mexico.
Union leaders saw the pollution as a threat to their members. Last week their lawyer sent a cease and desist letter to San Diego County, trying to force them to delay the campground’s reopening.
But union leaders say their efforts failed, at least in the short run.
"We are deeply concerned and disappointed that the county is proceeding without adequately addressing the sewage contamination's impact on County Park Rangers and the children, families, and community members who will visit the park,” said union president Crystal Irving in a written statement. “Issues related to air quality, health risks, and insufficient testing remain unresolved.”
The union has an ally in the mayor of Imperial Beach, who also opposes reopening.
“We were very concerned and we continue to be concerned about exposure to the rangers, workers and visitors to the park of everything that’s in this highly contaminated place,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre.
Aguirre is running for the County Board of Supervisors in District 1, which covers the South Bay.
The health impact on members of the South Bay community is well known. Many people have shared stories of getting sick. Many members of the community, including Aguirre herself, say the air near their homes smells like sewage.
“We don’t know what the workers are being exposed to and we certainly don’t know what families with young children can be exposed to,” Aguirre said.
Scientists from UC San Diego and San Diego State say hydrogen sulfide is a common air pollutant in the South Bay. It’s a toxic substance that can cause eye and respiratory irritation and potentially neurological effects.
One member of the county board of supervisors issued a cautious statement to KPBS.
“Testing has not found the county campground to be unsafe at this time, but an abundance of caution is always wise given previously detected air pollution in the Tijuana River Valley,” wrote San Diego County District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer.
The U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission reports on Sunday, an estimated 2 million gallons of wastewater spilled into the Tijuana River. The spill ended early this Monday morning.
Leaders with SEIU Local 221 said they will file an unfair labor practice complaint with the Public Relations Employee Board in the next 24 hours. They argue San Diego County has violated state law by not fulfilling its obligation to bargain with the union.
