Sea spray tainted with raw sewage found along California beach, study reveals trends now
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Californians vacationing at San Diego's Imperial Beach are breathing in sea spray, aerosol particles formed from the ocean, polluted with raw sewage, new research reveals.
Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found an estimated 13 billion gallons of polluted water have entered the Pacific Ocean through the Tijuana River since December 28, 2022.
Up to three-quarters of the bacteria floating in the air at the beach come from the aerosolization of raw sewage in the surf zone, suggesting swimmers and surfers are not the only ones impacted.
Sewage flowing from the river into the ocean has been an ongoing problem for more than a decade.
The cities of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista filed a lawsuit against the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), alleging it violated the Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act by failing to take steps to control coastal sewage pollution.
A settlement was recently reached last month and IBWC agreed to increased cooperation with Mexican water authorities to prevent future sewage
