CPH Daily Bulletin 12/9/2025

Thousands of air purifiers delivered to [the SD] South Bay, but residents and officials push for concrete solutions

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/08/thousands-of-air-purifiers-delivered-to-south-bay-but-residents-and-officials-push-for-concrete-solutions/

#SanDiego #AirQuality #Pollution #California #TijuanaRiver #ImperialBeach

Imperial Beach (southern San Diego County) has been closed due to contamination for 1000 consecutive days... and still counting. 25 miles (and likely more) of San Diego coastline polluted by millions of gallons of urban runoff (i.e., raw sewage) every single day.

And it's not just the risk of getting the contaminated water into open wounds, or your mouth that is of concern. People are getting gastrointestinal disease simply from breathing the air. 75% of the bacteria that people breathe in at Imperial Beach are coming from aerosolized raw sewage in the surf zone.

Furthermore, it's not just raw sewage, either. Researchers are detecting over 390 different chemical contaminants, including DDT, which has been banned in the U.S. since the 1970s.

As a result, businesses are closing. People are seeing their property values drop by as much as 20%. And this is causing a drop in tax revenue that could be used to help mitigate the problem.

The problem has existed for generations, but has been exacerbated and accelerated by the rapid urbanization, industrialization and proliferation of maquiladoras along the U.S. Mexican border, due to NAFTA.

I should add that as appalling as the data and consequences are in this article, it says nothing about the effects on those living on the Mexican side of the border. It is likely far worse for them.

https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/imperial-beach-1000-days-beach-closures/210284

#pollution #sandiego #imperialbeach #Tijuana #airpollution #NAFTA #freetrade #urbanization #mexico