Posted on February 11, 2025
The County Board of Supervisors has taken steps to support residents during the Tijuana River pollution problem with a declaration of a state of emergency, air purifiers for residents, and, more recently, a request for a superfund designation, which the EPA denied.
During a special meeting on January 29, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer reminded the board that the EPA said more could be accomplished by narrowing the scope of the request and working with other agencies, including the Center for Disease Control and the Water Board.
Lawson-Remer suggested inviting elected officials from the local, state, and federal levels, as well as some from Mexico, to work together. She feels the board should take responsibility by bringing everyone together and getting the right people involved. “There are a lot of potential tools not being utilized that are not directly in the county purview… but we have convening power to push, to get more, [for] all the agencies to come together,” she said.
Supervisor Joel Anderson agreed and pointed out that even though the county owns a small portion of land in the valley, it’s important to build a coalition that works. He suggested that assembly members, senators, and congress members who represent the area lead the group and that the county co-lead. “Without them, we’re not going to be as effective,” he said.
Supervisor Jim Desmond said the pollution is a huge issue for the county and, “in the absence of a Supervisor in District 1, it’s even more important for us to engage in this regional issue and bring stakeholders, primarily the federal government,” he said. He found it outrageous that beaches have been closed for over three years and money is being allocated to the sewage plant, but the polluted river water is bypassing the plant. Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe supported Anderson’s suggestion and also hoped the $600 million in federal funds for the plant was not in jeopardy due to the new administration.
A motion was approved unanimously to engage state and federal elected officials to be co-leaders in the effort to bring everyone together and work for a solution.
Another item related to the Tijuana River Valley, which is to dredge the county of San Diego land, was discussed. In 2023, $750,000 was leveraged to get a $4,250,000 grant from the State Water Resources Control Board and $100,000 from Fish & Wildlife for the removal of sediment and trash on county property in the Tijuana River Valley, including areas that are part of the City of San Diego.
Anderson questioned whether the federal government freeze would impact the $4,250,000 million grant on federal grant money. Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Dahvia Lynch explained that staff is looking across the board, not just for this grant but for any other pending grants from the federal government. “If we do not receive the funding, we have plan B, and we would dredge the county side, not the city side. We would do what we can with the county money,” said Lynch. Anderson was worried that the $750,000 won’t be enough to have an impact on the valley. Desmond wanted to make sure the board is not setting a precedent that the county will now be taking care of portions that don’t belong to it. Historically, $750,000 has been requested for dredging on county property south of Monument Road to reduce the risk of flooding.
Lawson-Remer questioned the timing of the project and whether there was urgency in receiving the matching grant. It was clarified that this type of project has a time constraint because it has to be performed outside of the bird nesting season. If the county doesn’t receive the federal grant, it can still use the $750,000 to do the work. If the federal grant comes in by September, the county can begin the work again when the bird season ends. After some discussion, it was decided to have a work base bid of $750,000, and if the county receives the grant, the other portion of the work can go forward. The item was approved unanimously.
