SOUTH BAY, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- South Bay residents could get a visit from CDC officials next weekend as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be visiting southern San Diego County homes to gather more information on how the Tijuana sewage crisis is impacting residents in the area.
Representatives from San Diego County and the CDC will visit randomly selected South Bay homes to conduct a public health survey during the following dates and times:
The CDC is working with San Diego County officials to conduct a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in an effort to learn more about health concerns and impacts from sewage and pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.
The survey is expected to last about 15 minutes and will be in-person, voluntary and anonymous. According to the CDC, a total of 210 interviews will be conducted, which equals about seven random households per block.
The pollution issue in the South Bay region is nothing new. Residents in that area have been dealing with pollution impacts for years, and parts of the Imperial Beach shoreline were closed for over 1,000 days in a row until just recently when it has reopened on and off over the past few weeks as the levels fluctuate. The beaches in Coronado have also been adversely affected.
The cross-border flows contain untreated sewage, sediment, and trash that enters the Tijuana River Valley, which the county says impacts local recreation, damages sensitive habitats, threatens public health, and causes beach water contact closures.
The pollution is from a combination of factors, according to the county:
Since September 2023, the Public Health Services (PHS) department in the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency has been monitoring a possible increase in gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses in that region.
County health officials in February 2024 created a website to keep track of GI health concerns. In May 2024, the County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to declare a state of emergency due to the border pollution and sewage issue, and is continuing to push Congress for more federal money and speed to repair and maintain infrastructure on the U.S. side of the border.
Residents in the area this summer also began receiving air purifiers to help with the odor.
In June 2024, the County Board of Supervisors directed County agencies to participate in a task force led by the mayor of Imperial Beach, which will conduct long-term health studies with San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
Now in October 2024, CDC officials will be visiting South Bay residents for the public health survey. The results of that study will be published by the CDC.
Meanwhile, Baja California officials say a new wastewater treatment plant being built in Mexico is expected to drastically reduce the amount of sewage that makes it to the ocean when it is finished this fall.