Amid the sound of roosters crowing, horses neighing and the smell of raw sewage at a ranch in the Tijuana River Valley, officials announced today that the Tijuana River has been ranked number two on American Rivers’ list of America’s most endangered rivers of 2025, moving up from number nine last year.
American Rivers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers for the past 50 years.
“This is not a badge of honor. This is a warning, a cry for help and a call for urgent action,” said Ramon Chairez, director of education and environmental advocacy for the organization Un Mar de Colores.
Chairez said that since 2017, about 130 billion gallons of untreated wastewater have flowed into the river, polluting the valley, beaches and oceans, and presenting serious public health risks.
“Contaminated waters carry harmful bacteria, viruses and pathogens that become airborne through aerosolization, exposing our families and communities,” Chairez said.
Among the many toxic substances and gases being produced is hydrogen sulfide.
“There is just no excuse to have untreated wastewater flowing through your community continuously, and all of this is being released into the air,” said Dr. Kimberly Prather from UCSD’s Institution of Oceanography.
In September 2024, Prather’s team of scientists found that the levels of hydrogen sulfide in the Nestor community were 4,000 times higher than typical urban levels. That number can be 20,000 times higher right by the river.
In response, the county deployed its hazmat team to the polluted Tijuana River Valley but ultimately said there was no imminent threat to public safety. The Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT) said it detected hydrogen sulfide in the air within the average ranges, with some elevations. However, the county at the time also suggested that residents in the affected area remain indoors when possible and keep their windows closed.
“Science is under siege,” Prather said. “People are trying to say science doesn’t matter, but in this case science backs the voices. It validates the voices of the community.”
According to one South Bay doctor, in the past 10 years, there’s been an uptick in the number of people getting sick due to breathing in hydrogen sulfide and other toxic, industrial chemicals like pesticides, benzene and toluene.
“We’re seeing teenagers – 10-year-olds – with migraine headaches, elderly people with chronic lung conditions and it’s very frustrating because we can treat them, but they walk right back out and are exposed again to these high levels of toxins. It’s very concerning,” said Dr. Matthew Dixon.
Officials also emphasized the need for immediate action from federal and state governments to address the crisis.
“It’s not rocket science,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. “The federal government has been able to build a wall across the floodplain without any environmental review, waiving all laws necessary. …The exact same thing could be done to divert and treat the river.”
Others criticized the lack of urgency.
“The lack of attention we see from Governor Newsom and the Trump administration is a disgrace, it’s a national outrage,” said Phillip Musegaas, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper. “Don’t think about it as a river but as an open sewer because, right now, that is what this is. We have people living here, trying to run businesses and raise children next to an open sewer.”
Officials ended the briefing by urging the Trump administration to declare the crisis a national emergency and ask Congress to dedicate permanent funding for the restoration and recovery of the Tijuana River.
Row sewage stink gas, lethal hydrogen-sulfide is not only a Coronado and IB issue. It is also a South Bay San Diego and San Ysidro issue. Welcome to the 21st Century Southern California Auschwitz. Except that this human atrocity forces us to pay fourfold taxes residential, sales city-state-federal ones and we are getting NOTHING in return for this tax monies. Three city majors, Distirct-1 County supervisor, Governor and both US-representative and senator are all accomplices in this human and slow holocaust. These elected officials are condemning us to unhealthy and slow poisoning. Several schools and many children are in the downwind path of this lethal gas, senior citizens and employed personnel are also being victimized by the these government agencies. If we all deny paying residential taxes something may click to the local officials to act.
It’s a shame this has been happening so long. I live in Coronado and the beach has been closed so many times and the water brown . The smell is really bad can’t even open the windows most of the time and am right on the ocean . Smells like sewage all the time and in the evening very bad reeks . I think people don’t realize it moves all the way down so that means Coronado Beach also The Hotel Del and North Island get the same sewage.
If this was happening in the Potomac River, it would be fixed QUICK-SMART by Congress. We’re just too far away and out of their peripheral vision.
The Mayor of Roserito, when asked about their ‘sewage problem’ responded: “we don’t have a sewage problem, you have a sewage problem.”
Are you kidding me!!!! Where’s common sense???? Divert the freaking river to Bay of California, Baja or create a dam to force treatment like most inner states and impose a major tax on Mexico until they divert to a Mexican treatment plant that discharges into California Bay!! I propose an Immediate CA Property Tax Exemption to all coastal communities and property owners in Imperial Beach and Coronado until the problem is Totally Resolved!! For all California Government, state and local to kick the can down the road and not resolve over 2 decades is Terrible and Stupid!! No disrespect to the Mayor of IB but to not take responsibility now and ask the Federal Government to come to the rescue is SLICK at relieving CA government, State and local, of any responsibility, blame or crime!! TAKE AWAY IB and Coronado Property Tax revenue NOW will force local and state government to resolve it fast!! One last thing….stop all CA government and contractor kick backs to not resolve the issue…..and to think many politicians and their supporters are more concerned about plastic bags……lol….
This is a decade old problem!
We need our communities to stop kicking the can down the street and demand that our civic and federal agencies step up and take action.
Fix it NOW!