Tijuana River pollution from Mexico is destroying the most beautiful beaches in the US.
Imperial Beach, famous for its fishing pier and its great surfing, is now one of the most contaminated coastlines in the country.
And the golden sands of Coronado are desolate on days when sewage from the river forces officials to put up warning signs at water’s edge.
The Tijuana River canal after a rain in Tijuana, Baja California, with bridges overhead and debris along the concrete banks. The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images
The polluted Tijuana River flowing into the United States from Mexico, with the border visible as a yellow line on the far bank. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The Alamar Creek where it meets the Tijuana River channel, with murky water and debris visible, south of the Mexico-U.S. border in Tijuana. AFP via Getty Images
The pollution has become so bad that it is time to consider stronger alternatives than just waiting for Mexico to upgrade its facilities.
The US may need to apply some serious pressure to force change.
The river runs along the US-Mexico boundary. The lower stretches of the river cross into the US before draining into the Pacific Ocean.
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The problem is that three-quarters of the watershed that feeds the river is in Mexico. And Mexico has serious sewage and pollution problems.
The Trump administration has made a sincere effort to solve the problem — both in Trump’s first term and in the second.
Aerial view of the Tijuana River flowing between Tijuana, Mexico, and the US border. AFP via Getty Images
A man walks along an aqueduct holding the Tijuana River as it arrives to the border and enters the United States. AP
The Tijuana River flowing with debris ahead of Tropical Storm Hilary’s landfall. Bloomberg via Getty Images
The first time around, President Donald Trump funded a water treatment plant on the US side of the border, as part of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).
The second Trump administration has gone even further, signing an agreement with Mexico in which Mexico agreed to build new sewage treatment facilities on its side of the border — at no cost to the American taxpayer.
And while California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants Trump to provide more funding for water treatment, the state and federal governments both agree that the problem has to be solved.
Aerial view of a brown and cloudy treated wastewater river entering the Pacific Ocean. AFP via Getty Images
Aerial view of wastewater flowing from a concrete tunnel into a river, creating white foam and brown, cloudy water in a canyon. AFP via Getty Images
But the situation is becoming more and more urgent.
The California Post reported this week that toxic gases from sewage flowing through the Tijuana River now exceed safety standards 10% of the time — up from 2% in 2024.
The Tijuana River sewage problem is a danger to local residents, as well as to the tourists who typically flock to San Diego’s beaches in the summertime.
It is also a national security threat. The Navy SEALs train in the waters off Coronado, as do other specialized military units.
We don’t want our elite soldiers getting sick.
Trump should tell Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo she must move more quickly –– or face consequences.
We can’t wait any longer.
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