Making the Impossible Possible: A Vision for the U.S./Mexico Transboundary Region

Photo: Edgar Ontiveros Medina

The Tijuana River Watershed is a strikingly beautiful and deeply meaningful place for communities in the Mexico/U.S. cross-border region.  It provides critical habitat to countless species and is home to the largest remaining coastal wetland in Southern California.  Yet, each year, billions of gallons of untreated sewage, industrial chemicals, and trash flow across the border through the river and enter the Pacific Ocean, causing beach closures throughout South San Diego County and widespread illnesses throughout the region.  In 2024, that number reached more than 36 billion gallons in polluted transboundary flows.   

We are at a turning point in the struggle for clean border water in the San Diego/Tijuana region.  The tireless dedication and persistent courage of community members and leaders who have long raised their voices for clean water, safe beaches, and a healthy future for our children is creating a movement that can no longer be ignored. 

We’ve been able to accomplish a lot together just in the last year.  In 2024, a record number of state bills and resolutions were introduced in the California legislature to address this issue.  The Tijuana River was added to America’s Most Endangered Rivers list and that propelled this crisis into national headlines.  Over $490M was secured for the Tijuana River Valley from state and federal sources for much needed infrastructure repairs and improvements.  Incredible teams of scientists from well respected local universities continued to lead cutting-edge research to understand the environmental and public health impacts of the pollution.  Even the CDC came out last fall to investigate this public health crisis.  And, two large wastewater treatment plants on both sides of the border broke ground on critical improvements and expansions.  Read more about our accomplishments in 2024 here.

Everyone who has brought us to this point has committed themselves in their personal and professional lives to bringing justice to our communities in the transboundary region because we know that it is possible. 

There is still work to be done, however, and some days it seems so hopeless, it’s difficult to imagine that we will ever fully heal our coast.  It can feel like no one is listening, nor cares what happens to our transboundary communities.  But, as Dr. Mona Hanna - the pediatrician who was instrumental in bringing about the urgent federal response needed to overcome the Flint Water Crisis - reminded us not too long ago at a public health forum, it is indeed possible here in the San Diego/Tijuana region, just as it was in Flint, Michigan.  We believe that the way forward is through strategic advocacy and collective action.  

First we must challenge ourselves to envision a different reality . . . 

Imagine the beach surrounding the Imperial Beach Pier being open for swimming and surfing 365 days a year.  

Imagine families spending a warm sunny day at their local beach without fear of getting sick.

Imagine seaside restaurants and tourism-based businesses in South San Diego booming once again.  

Imagine a thriving Tijuana River and Estuary teaming with healthy populations of invertebrates, fish, and migrating birds on their way south.  

Imagine lifeguards who can safely do their jobs without the risk of getting sick from performing rescues in contaminated water. 

Imagine if Navy SEALs and US Border Patrol agents could conduct training and job duties without risking their own health, keeping our military readiness and national security intact.  

Imagine children not missing school and parents not missing work because of recurring headaches and coughs resulting from unsafe levels of hydrogen sulfide gas in residential areas.  

Imagine a five-fold drop in urgent care visits due to exposure to toxic water and air in South San Diego communities.  

It is possible.  This vision for the future of South San Diego County, where cross-border flows of polluted water have contaminated air quality, closed beaches for over three years, and made people sick should not be limited solely to the imagination.  This reality is within reach.  We have the solutions, but we’re not there yet.  The road ahead is long and we know that if we keep working together, we too can make the impossible possible.   

• Short-term (1-3 years): 
  • Prioritization of this issue as a national emergency with immediate funding, interagency coordination, and public health resources for impacted communities.
• Mid-term (4-7 years): 
  • Full funding and implementation of the already vetted Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution to improve wastewater infrastructure and treatment capacity in the border region.
  • Funding and implementation of a river diversion project that would address what we now understand to be the most serious risk to public health — dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide and other aerosolized gasses in residential communities in the Tijuana River Valley.
• Long-term (8-12 years):
  • Annual funding for ongoing maintenance needs of infrastructure to ensure we don’t end up in this situation again.

All of this is possible. 

Photo: Lisa Kaczmarczyk

This is what the Clean Border Water Now program at Surfrider is working towards every day alongside community advocates and leaders, elected officials, and coalition partners.  The only way we’re going to get there is through strategic advocacy and collective action.  Together we can amplify impacted community voices and nurture our growing social movement to demand change.  

1. Sign our petition.
2. Follow us on social media for regular updates: @cleanborderwaternow. 
3. Donate to our Clean Border Water Now program to help us continue this work.