Some San Diego County beach areas are closed to swimmers and surfers Monday because of high bacteria levels, according to county health officials.
Among them is Imperial Beach, which had just reopened Sept. 22 after being closed continuously since December.
Bethany Case of Imperial Beach volunteers with the environmental nonprofit Surfrider Foundation. She said just like a lot of people in the community she wasn't convinced the beaches were safe even when opened.
"I think after having the beaches closed for over 1,000 days straight we were excited to have the beach open a little bit," Case said. "But also really skeptical — I think everybody's a little bit skeptical about getting in."
Infrastructure problems in Mexico have resulted in sewage flowing across the border via the Tijuana River for years. Improvements are in the works but are years away from completion.
Part of the improvement plan is happening this month, Voice of San Diego reported. The main sewage line in Tijuana is going offline for two weeks for repairs. But that means millions of gallons of sewage has nowhere to go but the river, according to the report.
Last week the county and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new survey of hundreds of households in the Tijuana River Valley. The agencies are trying to better understand how people are impacted by the near-constant flow of sewage, the county said.
Last month researchers from San Diego State and UC San Diego said they'd detected high levels of toxic gasses — hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide — near the watershed. County Supervisor Nora Vargas said there was no risk to public health, but researchers disagreed.
Case says it's frustrating.
"It's really frustrating to be a resident," she said. "We can't use this huge recreation space. We can barely go outside and exercise."
Several community groups are organizing a community event at the Imperial Beach Pier Saturday, Case said, in order to educate people both about what's happening and how they can get involved.
Water contact closures were issued for the following location due to bacteria levels exceeding health standards:
- Imperial Beach Shoreline, ocean shoreline from the south end of Seacost Drive through north of Imperial Beach Pier;
- Tijuana Slough Shoreline, ocean shoreline from U.S./Mexico border, including Border Field State Park and the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge.
Additionally, water contact advisories were issued for the following locations due to bacteria levels exceeding health standards:
- La Jolla, Children's Pool;
- La Jolla, La Jolla Cove Beachline;
- Mission Bay, Tecolote Shores - swim area;
- Mission Bay, Fiesta Island - Northwest Shoreline;
- Mission Bay, Ventura Cove - 300' north and south of the drain;
- Silver Strand Shoreline, ocean shoreline from north Carnation to south of Avenida Lunar.
More information on water contamination in San Diego County can be found at sdbeachinfo.com.
