The cities of Coronado and Imperial Beach are urging San Diego County to return to the long-standing, state-approved, culture-based testing instead of its new ddPCR testing methodology.
A letter mailed this week to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, signed by the mayors from each city, asks for a pause on the new testing as well as a new “warning” tier the County recently implemented.
The previous testing method remains the current standard for millions of beach visitors across California and the United States. The new test and tier are a significant departure from just a few months ago and require better vetting and calibration.
Since the new testing was implemented in early May, both Coronado and Imperial Beach have experienced an unprecedented number of beach closures even though the old and new tests were asserted to have equivalent results.
Both cities have long championed for permanent solutions to cross-border pollution and are heartened by the $300 million of federal projects under design and $300 million more in the pipeline. The goal for everyone is to protect the health, safety and access to our beaches every year.
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