San Diego County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre will bring forward their proposal for immediate infrastructure construction at a sewage hot spot on the Tijuana River along Saturn Boulevard and a concurrent medical study.
Wednesday's proposal came about through the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis and calls for $4.75 million from recently "unlocked" county funds and will be heard by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting.
"The Tijuana River sewage crisis requires both long-term solutions and action now," Lawson-Remer said. "We're moving on both tracks at once, advancing permanent fixes while taking immediate steps to reduce the toxic exposure San Diegans face every day."
The sewage hot spot along Saturn Boulevard became the focus of studies last year by a team from UC San Diego.
In 2024, the number of foul odor complaints spiked precipitously among residents near the Tijuana River. The readings the team took found levels of hydrogen sulfide — also known as sewer gas because of the rotten egg, sewage smell it emits — 4,500 times more than what is typical for an urban area.
Strangely, though, the highest readings were not coming from the river itself or even the ocean, but in an inland area in the Nestor neighborhood.
What the scientists found is that a wastewater discharge pipe was expelling thousands of gallons of sewage into a confined area, creating turbulence and foam. When the bubbles in the foam burst, they released gases into the air — more than 1,000 different kinds, including many that are toxic. These aerosolized pollutants then produced the noxious odors residents had noted for years.
Once the source of much of the smell was located, the UCSD team began monitoring gas levels at the site off Saturn Boulevard, what became known as the "hot spot." Elevated gas levels corresponded to increased odor complaints at an almost perfect correlation. The residents of the area had clocked the noxious gas better than scientific measurements up to that point.
The largest portion of the requested funds — $2.5 million — would be earmarked for a temporary pipe extension at the hot spot to reduce turbidity and thus the aerosolization of hydrogen sulfide and other potentially harmful compounds.
Another $2 million would go toward a comprehensive, multi-year health study to track and quantify the health outcomes of residents exposed to chronic contamination and $250,000 for a health study analyzing historical health data to identify existing patterns of illness linked to the river valley.
"For too long, our communities have been told there was nothing to be done, it isn't that big of a deal, and to wait for someone else to fix it," Aguirre said. "That narrative is not only, unequivocally false, but an insult to the residents feeling the effect of the pollution every single day. We have to do something now — the days of downplaying and brushing this crisis under the rug are over.
"This isn't just a sewage issue; it's a public health emergency, and it's time we fund it like one."
The project would also seek to formalize agreements with the city of San Diego and the U.S. Navy to expedite construction and site access.
In September, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to increase the county's recognized emergency reserves from $692 million to $1.327 billion, "unlocking" the difference for possible spending.
