Sewage Contamination Shuts Down Imperial Beach Shoreline

The Imperial Beach shoreline was closed to water contact today because authorities suspected that currents were pushing sewage- tainted runoff from the Tijuana River north, county officials said.

The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health extended its existing closure order north from the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge to Carnation Avenue in Imperial Beach. Sewage-tainted runoff in the Tijuana River that had been entering the Tijuana Estuary after recent rainfall was still flowing, officials said.

Observations made today indicated northward moving ocean currents, and contamination along Imperial Beach was suspected, according to the DEH.

County officials said that signs warning of the sewage-contaminated water would remain in place until field measurements indicated the ocean water was safe for recreational use.

The beach closure was for water-contact activities only.

—City News Service