New trash boom sweeps up tires, plastics and debris flowing into Tijuana River Valley

Alexandra Mendoza, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Dec 17, 2024

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SAN DIEGO — A new trash boom system is intercepting trash, plastics, tires and other debris flowing from Mexico into San Diego’s Tijuana River Valley, part of a state-funded pilot project to address longstanding pollution along the border.

The 450-foot-long boom was installed in mid-November. And on Tuesday, federal, state and local officials gathered along the U.S. side of the Tijuana River canal to mark the next phase of the project, the capture of objects that clog untreated water entering a treatment plant, officials said.

“California is working with our local and federal partners to address the ongoing Tijuana River crisis,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Tuesday. “This project to stop trash from clogging the river is part of an all-of-the-above approach we’re taking to help protect Tijuana River valley communities.”

The project, which will run for two years, was financed with $4.7 million from the State Water Resources Control Board and is overseen by the nonprofit Rural Community Assistance Corporation, officials said.

“This trash boom will help reduce pollution, safeguard wildlife, and ensure a cleaner environment for generations to come,” said the nonprofit’s CEO Susan Anarde-Devenport during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The need has been visible in the surrounding areas. For example, back in January, a sod farm on a property owned by the International Boundary Water Commission, west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, flooded, leaving behind piles of trash.

It took the federal agency two months to completely clean up the area. Crews removed more than 1,000 tons of trash, which filled 142 containers.

“This shows how severe the trash problem is in our river,” said Sally Spener, Foreign Affairs Officer with the IBWC.

The Tijuana River trash boom is the third, and largest, in the Tijuana River area, following those in Goat Canyon and Smuggler’s Gulch, said David Gibson, executive officer of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Two others, by the nonprofit Wildcoast, have been installed in Tijuana.

“The Tijuana River Valley has regional parks, state parks, U.S. fish and wildlife habitat — all of that is at risk if we’re not able to control sediment of trash and polluted waters,” he said. “And while our focus has been properly on sewage, trash has always been a key issue, and also one of the most attainable issues we could address.”

The launch of the project comes ahead of the rainy season, officials noted. The Tijuana River can flow from zero to more than 23,000 cubic feet per second during a big storm, Gibson said.

The floating trash boom was made in part with recycled plastics from the Tijuana River Valley, he added.

“It shows how it can be turned into a building material that is very durable,” he said. “But it also shows how durable the plastics are in the environment if we don’t stop them and manage them where we can.”

Officials will evaluate the results of the two-year project to determine its continuity or if there are aspects that can be improved. Officials noted, however, that a long-term solution will also require continued cooperation with Mexico.

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