FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
SAN DIEGO – Today, the San Diego City Council approved a new State of Emergency Resolution (Item 108) due to the environmental disaster occurring within the Tijuana River Valley.
The original State of Emergency resolution was first passed in 1993, however, the crisis has since worsened. In addition to the toxic, untreated sewage crossing the international border, significant amounts of plastic, tires and sediment are flowing across the United States border and into the City of San Diego. Since 2005, over 520,000 cubic yards of sediment has been excavated from the sensitive habitats in the Tijuana River Valley, and in 2015, 468 tons of solid waste was removed from the area.
This new resolution provides a more accurate description of the ongoing disaster in the Tijuana River Valley, heightens awareness and demonstrates how public health is impacted. District Eight residents frequently experience a foul smell, and people who have been exposed to the toxic waste have reported skin rashes, headaches and respiratory issues.
“Thank you to Mayor Faulconer and my Council colleagues for supporting this new resolution and for standing with our residents and the environment,” stated Councilmember Vivian Moreno. “This has been going on for far too long and South Bay is not a dumping ground. To solve this international crisis, we must stop pointing fingers. This is a regional issue that calls for a regional solution.”
“The sewage, sediment and trash occurring in the Tijuana River Valley is an environmental crisis and we’re going to keep fighting until it’s fixed once and for all,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “We’ve seen some positive movement recently after decades of advocating as a region to our leaders in Washington and Mexico City. They’ve identified the problem and the projects needed to fix it, and now we must push for them to take action.”
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