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Border & Immigration

County Issues Closure For Tijuana Slough Shoreline

A surfer rides a wave in Imperial Beach in San Diego, Calif., Friday, March 2, 2018, behind a sign warning of the sewage-contaminated water from the Tijuana River Valley.
Elliot Spagat / AP
A surfer rides a wave in Imperial Beach in San Diego, Calif., Friday, March 2, 2018, behind a sign warning of the sewage-contaminated water from the Tijuana River Valley.

County environmental health officials issued a closure Thursday along the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park due to sewage-contaminated water.

The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health issued the water-contact closure following rainfall this week that caused contaminated water in the Tijuana River to flow into U.S. waterways. County officials regularly issue beach closures after rainstorms due to contaminated flows from the river.

The closure extends along the shoreline from the U.S.-Mexico border to the southern end of Seacoast Drive. County officials have placed water-contact closure signs to alert beachgoers of the water's contamination.

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The signs will remain in place until water sampling meets state health standards. County officials also warned residents Wednesday to avoid coastal waters for 72 hours after rainfall ends to avoid contact with urban runoff like animal waste and decomposing vegetation.

Residents seeking information on the Tijuana River can contact the San Diego division of the International Boundary and Water Commission at (619) 662-7600.

Residents also can find information on beach closures at sdbeachinfo.com or by calling (619) 338-2073.