TIJUANA – The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission awarded a five-year, US$1.9 million contract to EGC-AGEISS Joint Venture of San Antonio, Texas, to collect water, sediment and trash samples in the Tijuana River and adjacent canyons along the border with Mexico.
The sampling program was developed with input from the regulatory community and the Minute 320 water quality working group. The purpose is to characterize transboundary flows and develop an ongoing repository of water and sediment quality data.
The study also satisfies the requirement to develop and implement a Tijuana River Valley Monitoring Program (TRVMP), as outlined in the permit issued by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“This monitoring program honors the commitment we made under the Board’s schedule order issued in 2023,” said Maria-Elena Giner, P.E., USIBWC Commissioner.
According to Giner, combined with US$31 million in repairs at the plant, the $600 million expansion will soon begin.
The TRVMP is designed to provide information that answers questions such as:
How far do transboundary flows travel downstream of the U.S.-Mexico border?
– Under what circumstances do pathogens and indicator bacteria reach the ocean and travel to beaches or cause or contribute to beach closures?
– Under what circumstances do transboundary sewage flows from the barranca sewers reach the Tijuana River, the Tijuana River Estuary, and the coastal shoreline of the Pacific Ocean?
– What trash pollution is generated in Mexico that could flow through the canyon collectors and cross into the Tijuana River Valley and the Tijuana River Estuary?
The study will begin in November. The program will routinely test water and sediment samples for bacteria, industrial pollutants, pesticides, metals and more.
A solid waste survey will also be conducted in years 2 and 4 of the program to determine the type, quantity and potential sources of trash in Smuggler’s Gulch and Goat Canyon.
