Tijuana River designated as 'endangered' due to sewage crisis

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Tijuana River Watershed has been designated as one of the top ten most endangered rivers in the U.S. by an environmental nonprofit over the sewage crisis that has crippled southern San Diego County for decades.

The designation comes from the 2024 edition of American Rivers' annual "America's Most Endangered Rivers" report, released on Tuesday. The Tijuana River was the ninth river included in the report due to the ongoing health and safety risks posed by pollution in the waterway.

According to the report, the yearly transboundary flows measure upwards of 35 to 50 million gallons per day, between sewage from Tijuana, untreated wastewater from a failing plant, and toxic industrial waste poured from factories.

"For over a century, toxic waste and raw sewage have flowed into the Tijuana River Watershed and out into the Pacific Ocean, sickening people and wildlife," the report reads, pointing to instances of respiratory and skin conditions that have developed from exposure to the pollution.

"Decades of mismanagement and under-investment in wastewater infrastructure have led to egregious and long-running Clean Water Act violations," it continues. "This is a grave public health crisis and an environmental justice emergency."

Earlier this month, the International Boundary and Water Commission announced they would be receiving triple its typical annual funding, allowing them to make dire upgrades to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment plant — one of the facilities contributing to the crisis.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), who helped lead the delegation to secure the funding, said the designation from American Rivers "reaffirms what our communities already know too well — toxic pollution is flowing into the Tijuana River every day and we need the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant to be expanded as quickly as possible."

"For too long, sewage in the Tijuana River Valley has harmed public health, our local economies, and our ecosystems," he continued. "We’re continuing to push for additional resources and to make sure the country of Mexico does its part as well. Our work is far from over.”

Surfrider Foundation and Un Mar de Colores, who partnered with American Rivers for the report, will be holding a press conference on the designation for the Tijuana River at 10 a.m.

FOX 5/KUSI has a crew at the press conference on today's announcement. Check back for updates.