City and San Diego County officials met last week to discuss the results of a new, more sensitive ocean-water testing technology that has closed Coronado’s beach for 17 days since May 8.
The testing, a rapid, DNA-based ocean-water testing system, results in earlier warnings that bacteria levels have reached an unhealthy level.
The City expressed concern at the meeting about the closures and the sensitivity of the tests, and is preparing on a joint statement along with Imperial Beach, and possibly other entities, requesting a temporary pause on closures based on the new testing alone.
The letter would be brought back to Council for final approval. South County beaches are experiencing southern swells, which are more common during summer months and can bring sewage contaminated water north across the international border.
The City also will work to draft a letter to continue to pressure federal officials and to advocate for progress on solutions to treat sewage-contaminated water from the Tijuana River into the United States.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement promised $300 million to build a better water treatment plant at the border to help stop the polluted water from reaching the ocean. At the same time, the City will continue to push for short-term solutions to the pollution issue.
