Leaders of San Diego County’s second-largest city unanimously voted Tuesday to declare a local state of emergency due to the impacts of the Tijuana River sewage crisis reaching Chula Vista.
The resolution is largely symbolic, calling on the White House, especially with a forthcoming change in administration, and other top government officials to fast-track more spending for solutions. Chula Vista officials are directed to “explore any and all options to improve conditions in the Tijuana River,” the proclamation reads.
The council’s vote marked the first, official acknowledgment that the rampant pollution was no longer just affecting the communities closest to the river. Its effects, such as noxious sewer gas odors, are impacting people several miles away in Chula Vista.
“This is an issue that has continually worsened over the last 30-plus years,” said Mayor John McCann. “And while its true that Imperial Beach and Coronado have suffered the most harm, residents in Chula Vista are also subject to unhealthy conditions caused by the terribly inadequate treatment of the wastewater coming from the city of Tijuana.”
Residents in Chula Vista’s southwest region, more than six miles north of the Tijuana River Valley, where researchers have detected high levels of hydrogen sulfide and other toxic chemicals that spill over the border, say they are suffering more than the disgust.
Odors wake them up from deep sleep and they experience headaches, dizziness and nausea. These symptoms, among others, have mostly been reported by those living and working closest to the river and ocean, such as in Imperial Beach, Coronado, Nestor, Otay Mesa West and San Ysidro.
Pollution has significantly worsened in the past couple years. Sewage flows reached a record high of 44 billion gallons last year and the amount of sedimentation, which has compromised wastewater treatment infrastructure efforts, has also broken records.
Years of negligence and underinvestment in wastewater treatment plants from both countries have led to illnesses, beach closures and economic downturns. However, advances have been made in recent years in securing funding and kickstarting construction projects to prevent flows from spilling into the U.S.
Still, more money for infrastructure and resources to bring residents relief sooner are needed. That’s why its important to have as many jurisdictions, including Chula Vista, “join a coalition of stakeholders urging federal and state agencies to prioritize comprehensive solutions that safeguard our environment and public health,” said Lisa Schmidt, district director for Assemblymember David Alvarez, whose district includes South County.
In 2018, Chula Vista joined Imperial Beach and the Port of San Diego in suing the federal government for violating the Clean Water Act. The city’s emergency declaration also follows similar proclamations adopted by the county in 2023, as well as the city of San Diego and Imperial Beach years ago. All mayors across the county have also sent joint letters to state and federal officials requesting a state of emergency.
On Wednesday, California Coastal Commissioners said they hoped that Gov. Gavin Newsom includes the Tijuana River sewage crisis in talks with the Legislature during a special session scheduled in December. The governor called the meeting in response to President-elect Donald Trumps re-election, citing concerns over the “consequences of his presidency for California.”
Commissioners also said that Proposition 4 should allocate money for additional projects vital to diverting sewage flows from the river that have yet to be funded. Prop. 4, which California voters approved in this election, authorizes spending $10 billion on environmental and climate projects, prioritizing lower-income communities.