Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tijuana Wastewater Cleaner Than San Diego’s

For the first time since it was built in 1997, the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant at the U.S.-Mexico border has met the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency three months in a row, according to Steve Smullens of the International Boundary and Water Commission. With that accomplishment, 90 percent of Tijuana’s wastewater is now being treated to cleanliness standards equal to or higher than cities on the U.S. side of the border.

“It’s very good news,” said Dave Gibson, executive officer of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. “It’s an example of Tijuana’s growing commitment to the environment on both sides of the border. “

Sponsored
Sponsored

The border treatment plant’s final output is treated to secondary standards — cleaner than the city of San Diego’s, which fought for a waiver from the secondary requirement and treats only to advanced-primary standards. Once treated, the San Ysidro plant pumps effluent to the South Bay Ocean Outfall, about two miles offshore.

“The city of Tijuana is now producing cleaner wastewater day to day than the biggest U.S. city in the region,” Gibson said. “They’ve put a great deal of money and effort into it. Their lead agencies...put money into building and improving the plants in Tijuana.”

Most of Tijuana is served by four wastewater treatment plants. Two of those, Arturo Herrera and La Morita, which treat a total of 7 million gallons a day, produce “high quality” effluent — which is then pumped into the Tijuana River. The facility in the South Bay treats about 25 million gallons of wastewater a day.

The infrastructure in Tijuana wasn’t built with the backup pumps and bypass systems that most U.S. systems have, so working on the pipes can mean that the sewage is dumped into the Tijuana River. The last big sewage spills were in April — with 25 million gallons ending up in the Tijuana River — and in the U.S.

Last month, Tijuana gave notice to Imperial Beach, San Diego, the county, the water board, and other groups that 177,000 gallons of sewage were going to be released during a pipe repair. The response was immediate: No thanks.

“The pressure they felt made them back off from releasing it, and it didn’t happen,” border water commissioner Edward Drusina said at a citizens’ forum in Imperial Beach last week. “They are embracing a partnership with us.” Gibson agreed, pointing out that the U.S. has no jurisdiction or method to block the release of sewage in Mexico. Instead, he says, the growing relationships and cross-border investment are showing signs of improved sewage management.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Timken museum among best in world

Balboa Park is such a pleasant place, it can almost seem a waste to spend time indoors
Next Article

Experience Hendrix, Falling Doves, Peter Sprague, Sandi King, Clikatat Ikatowi

Tributes, listening parties, and screenings in Kensington, Carlsbad, La Mesa, Little Italy, and downtown

For the first time since it was built in 1997, the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant at the U.S.-Mexico border has met the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency three months in a row, according to Steve Smullens of the International Boundary and Water Commission. With that accomplishment, 90 percent of Tijuana’s wastewater is now being treated to cleanliness standards equal to or higher than cities on the U.S. side of the border.

“It’s very good news,” said Dave Gibson, executive officer of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. “It’s an example of Tijuana’s growing commitment to the environment on both sides of the border. “

Sponsored
Sponsored

The border treatment plant’s final output is treated to secondary standards — cleaner than the city of San Diego’s, which fought for a waiver from the secondary requirement and treats only to advanced-primary standards. Once treated, the San Ysidro plant pumps effluent to the South Bay Ocean Outfall, about two miles offshore.

“The city of Tijuana is now producing cleaner wastewater day to day than the biggest U.S. city in the region,” Gibson said. “They’ve put a great deal of money and effort into it. Their lead agencies...put money into building and improving the plants in Tijuana.”

Most of Tijuana is served by four wastewater treatment plants. Two of those, Arturo Herrera and La Morita, which treat a total of 7 million gallons a day, produce “high quality” effluent — which is then pumped into the Tijuana River. The facility in the South Bay treats about 25 million gallons of wastewater a day.

The infrastructure in Tijuana wasn’t built with the backup pumps and bypass systems that most U.S. systems have, so working on the pipes can mean that the sewage is dumped into the Tijuana River. The last big sewage spills were in April — with 25 million gallons ending up in the Tijuana River — and in the U.S.

Last month, Tijuana gave notice to Imperial Beach, San Diego, the county, the water board, and other groups that 177,000 gallons of sewage were going to be released during a pipe repair. The response was immediate: No thanks.

“The pressure they felt made them back off from releasing it, and it didn’t happen,” border water commissioner Edward Drusina said at a citizens’ forum in Imperial Beach last week. “They are embracing a partnership with us.” Gibson agreed, pointing out that the U.S. has no jurisdiction or method to block the release of sewage in Mexico. Instead, he says, the growing relationships and cross-border investment are showing signs of improved sewage management.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Clikatat Ikatowi returns to the Casbah for October 8 show

Venue saw the band’s last performance over a quarter century ago
Next Article

Timken museum among best in world

Balboa Park is such a pleasant place, it can almost seem a waste to spend time indoors
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader