Photo: Kumeyaay Spiritual Warriors for the Tijuana River: Bethany Case, Mario Ordonez-Calderon, Ramon Chairez, Chris Helmer, Zach Plopper, Bobby Wallace, Sarah Davidson
Imperial Beach, CA– On Tuesday morning, April 16,the Surfrider Foundation and Un Mar de Colores hosted a press conference to announce that the Tijuana River has been officially designated one of America’s top ten Most Endangered Rivers of 2024. The designation was made by American Rivers, a national environmental advocacy organization focused on protecting and promoting the health of rivers in the United States. Each year, American Rivers releases a list of the Most Endangered Rivers in America to shine a spotlight on threats to clean water and to drive advocacy.
The press conference took place at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center in Imperial Beach, surrounded by a sea of vibrant yellow flowers covering the estuary and the bustling city of Tijuana in the distance. Six speakers shared their reactions to the announcement and several local news media outlets were in attendance. This announcement comes at a time when the environmental catastrophe in the Tijuana River Watershed, and the resulting public health crisis, continue to worsen. Since Jan. 1st of this year, over 25 billion gallons of contaminated water have flowed out through the river into the ocean in Imperial Beach. The southern most beach in San Diego County has been closed for over 860 consecutive days and counting. The water is now so inundated with toxic pollution that air quality is also impaired. People are getting sick standing in their front yards, doing their jobs, and going to school.
Featured speakers commented on the current state of crisis and also highlighted the values of the Tijuana River Watershed, along with the importance of this new designation.
Bobby Wallace, of the Barona Band of Mission Indians of the Kumeyaay Nation opened with a powerful land acknowledgement, and added, “The water is not going to stop flowing. It’s going to keep going. It’s going to go up the coast, we can’t even swim. Our fish in the harbor – it’s polluted– not everyone knows this, but it is. We need to stop this and we need to stop it now. So I call on everybody, please support this endeavor.”
Zach Plopper, Senior Environmental Director at the Surfrider Foundation explained, “This river is the ecological heartbeat of the border region. The wetland is a blue-carbon ecosystem. It captures more atmospheric carbon per acre than any other habitat type in the county. More than 10,000 acres of protected areas on both sides of the border are in place to safeguard the river, the estuary, and the surrounding ecosystems, including California’s southernmost marine protected area. It provides open space for thousands of local residents as well as visitors from far beyond our region. This place is incredible. But the public health and environmental justice emergency unfolding here has been going on for decades and it’s worse now than it’s ever been . . . It’s our hope that the designation of the Tijuana River as one of the most endangered rivers in the country will be a turning point in the effort to get the funding and resources that are so desperately needed to ensure a clean and accessible Tijuana River Valley.”
Mario Ordoñez-Calderon, Co-founder and Executive Director of Un Mar de Colores added, “The Tijuana River is a symbol of connectedness and intersectionalism, and in the face of pressing climate issues that will force us to start approaching environmental issues not just at a national level but at an international and global level, the Tijuana River possesses the greatest opportunity to demonstrate successful tri-national collaboration in undoing a gross array of environmental injustices against clean water that have gone overlooked in this nation for far too long . . . I hope this endangered river designation supports the relentless and decades-long community-led efforts and presents a crucial opportunity to restore and protect our coast, rivers, watershed, and communities for generations to come.”
Congressmember Scott Peters, represented by his Director of Constituent Services in San Diego, Cesar Solis, said of the announcement, “It smells bad, it looks bad, it’s one of the biggest environmental catastrophes the U.S. currently faces. But hopefully, soon, the story of the Tijuana River will be one of triumph, not tragedy . . . This should be a destination attracting people from across the world, but instead, anyone who wants to enjoy South Bay beaches is met with hazard signs. So, though we are here today to lament the Tijuana River’s current state, let’s continue to work together so that one day it earns the distinction of being an environmental jewel, not an environmental disaster.”
Congressmember Juan Vargas who represents this area sent a statement adding, “This designation reaffirms what our communities already know too well – toxic pollution is flowing into the Tijuana River everyday and we need the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant to be expanded as quickly as possible . . . Our work is far from over. We’ll keep fighting for the health of our communities and waterways.”
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, represented by City of Imperial Beach Environmental Director Chris Helmer, stated, “The impact of this pollution crisis on the 750,000 residents living in South San Diego County can not be overstated. Since August 2022, our community has endured the relentless onslaught of over 1 billion gallons of sewage per month coming down the Tijuana River. The Tijuana River now carries more untreated sewage than any other river in the United States. This is inflicting devastating social, environmental, economic, and public health impacts on our communities . . . We urgently need local, state, and federal officials to champion a comprehensive solution in the Tijuana River. Failure to act now could result in irreparable harm to this endangered river and to this endangered ecosystem here.”
Bethany Case, long-time Imperial Beach resident and Surfrider’s Clean Border Water Now lead volunteer closed out the press conference by sharing, “We’re disgusted by what we have learned about what we are breathing any time we are outside or inside when we have our windows open because it’s likely seeping into our home that way. We can’t use our most beloved natural recreation resources without worrying about what we are breathing. This designation means so much to our family and our community because it means that the health of the watershed will continue to be a priority not only locally but nationally and that we are able to spread our message and our stories further than we ever thought possible.”
Kristan Culbert, representing American Rivers, was unable to attend in person, but provided the following statement: “The 2024Most Endangered Rivers listing is a call to action for clean water. We are proud to work with the Surfrider Foundation, Un Mar de Colores, and other local organizations in advocating for clean water and pollution controls on the Tijuana River.”
The designation of the Tijuana River as endangered sounds the alarm across the country and offers all of us, whether directly or indirectly impacted, an opportunity to join the effort to address this public health and environmental justice emergency. It will take all of us to build the social movement required to heal our river, our coast, and our communities.
About the Surfrider Foundation: The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s ocean, waves, and beaches for all through a powerful activist network. Learn more at surfrider.org, or visit SurfriderSD.org.
The Clean Border Water Now Program (CBWN) at Surfrider Foundation’s San Diego County Chapter focuses on the transboundary pollution in the Tijuana River Watershed. More information about CBWN can be found at https://sandiego.surfrider.org/cbwn or by calling 619.837.8199.
About Un Mar de Colores: Un Mar de Colores is a nonprofit organization focused on inspiring inclusivity and celebrating diversity through initiatives focused on increasing coastal access for underserved youth and their families. Learn more at https://mar-de-colores.org/
