The Future of the Tijuana River Valley

http://mbiru.com/tour/border-field-state-park-2.html

What is the likely future of the Tijuana River Valley?
If pollution continues as it's currently going, the Tijuana River Valley will continue to be polluted and the water contaminated. The animals around this ecosystem will continue to mistake trash for food and harm themselves and the possibility of further devastating protected lands and salt marshes is still very real. While sewage treatment plants have been opened in Tijuana in accordance to the Bajagua treatment plan. Sewage spills have become less frequent within the past 10 years but just last year in 2010 there was a 2.1 million gallon sewage spill in the Tijuana River Valley that was not caught by water authorities on either side of the border. With every winter rain fall more land and water is threatened with contamination as storm water brings in the pollution to the Valley.

What can be done to improve the cycle of pollution in the Tijuana River Valley?

The US and Mexico need to work closely together to continue efforts to build more water reclamation plants and sewage treatment centers that meet US standards. The US should also help to finance these plants and treatment centers as the pollution problem is just as much Mexico's problem as it is an issue for the United States. While legislation is current in motion (such as SB-167) there also needs to be an effort to education the public on the health risks of living, swimming or playing in contaminated water where water-borne illnesses are prevalent as well as the risks of consuming fish that have been exposed to toxic water. The efforts of organizations who are trying to educate the public and organize clean-ups should also be sponsored by the government as much if not all of the Tijuana River Valley is county, state or federal protected lands.

Sources:
WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE
http://www.wildcoast.net/programs
http://www.wildcoast.net/content/programs/3/factsheet/ISSUE_BRIEFING_final.pdf?1281048425

Surfrider Foundation
http://sandiego.surfrider.org/solving-border-pollution-woes

http://www.goldenstateimages.com/GSI_search.php?srch=pollution%20tijuana%20river%20valley&op=ex

http://www.oceanlight.com/log/tijuana-river-pollution-san-diego.html

http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/blog/sick-of-sewage/item/20-reactions-to-21-million-gallon-sewage-spill-in-tijuana-river-valley.html

http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/media/San-Diego-Magazine/December-2007/A-Sewer-Runs-Through-It/Sewage-History-of-Tijuana/

Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
http://trnerr.org/?p=1421
http://trnerr.org/?page_id=34

http://buy-a-house-san-diego.com/local-san-diego-events/imperial-beach-sandcastle-competition/