Recent water quality standards meet the state’s threshold for safety, San Diego County announced on Sept. 23.
The stretch of sand along the Silver Strand Peninsula down to the Imperial Beach Pier is now open. Farther south, beaches remain closed.
“While this is a positive step forward, having our beaches open and safe should be the norm, not the exception,” said Nora Vargas, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, in a statement.
Imperial Beach marked 1,000 days of beach closures last month due to the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis.
The 1,000-day milestone is often cited when discussing the crisis, and it’s true, but it can be confusing: The Tijuana Slough shoreline, which is the southernmost stretch of IB’s coastline, has been closed since Dec. 8, 2021. That’s 1,021 days ago (at time of publication).
However, the Imperial Beach Pier closed on Dec. 18, 2023, and farther north, the Silver Strand shoreline closed on Aug. 29, 2024. These two areas are now open. The Tijuana Slough is still closed.
An influx of federal funding and local advocacy by both political leaders and by citizens has pushed for resolution on both sides of the border.
Mexico is working to repair its long-failing infrastructure; the last available progress update is here. The United States also processes some of Mexico’s wastewater, predominantly through the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is managed by the US Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission.
US infrastructure has also been failing due to increased capacity needs and years without sufficient budget for its maintenance. Read about current progress on repair efforts here.
Last month, researchers said they found unhealthy levels of hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide in the air due to contamination in the Tijuana River Valley. In response, the county sent a hazmat team to investigate, but deemed the air safe, albeit smelly.
“There is still more work to be done to reopen the remaining shoreline, and I remain committed to pushing for comprehensive solutions to this long-standing environmental issue,” Vargas said, “because our families deserve clean, safe beaches year-round.”
