Rep. Juan Vargas, San Diego Congressional Delegation Call for Federal Support for South Bay Air Quality Monitoring

October 18, 2024

Rep. Juan Vargas, San Diego Congressional Delegation Call for Federal Support for South Bay Air Quality Monitoring

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representatives Juan Vargas (CA-52), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Mike Levin (CA-49), and Scott Peters (CA-50) called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide support to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) as they work to monitor the air quality in communities impacted by Tijuana River Valley pollution.

This summer, South Bay communities were overwhelmed by strong sewage odors from the Tijuana River Valley, and hydrogen sulfide was detected in higher-than-normal amounts for short periods of time. Because exposure to hydrogen sulfide can cause adverse health effects like headaches and difficulty breathing, it is important that our communities have access to continuous and robust air quality monitoring that will give public health officials the information they need to help keep people safe.

"In the past year, researchers discovered that toxins and bacteria from the Tijuana River can be aerosolized and become airborne- unveiling an apparent threat not only to our water ecosystems, but the air in our communities. A recent heat wave in the region intensified the odors, and led constituents to report that the fumes have caused them to wake up in the middle of the night," wrote the lawmakers.

"The [APCD] needs additional resources to ensure that they can properly measure and respond to the reported increase of noxious fumes," the lawmakers continued. "That is why we are requesting that the EPA deploy whatever available federal resources to assist the San Diego County APCD with establishing a network of reference-grade monitoring equipment that can provide precise and real-time data."

Read the full letter HERE.

The San Diego Congressional delegation has been focused on combating pollution in the Tijuana River Valley for years.

Together, the San Diego Congressional delegation has secured $400 million in federal funding which will be used to help improve and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. Construction on the plant will begin soon.

In May, the Congressional delegation called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to look into the contaminants in the water, soil, and air in our communities and the potential connection to reported increases in illnesses and other symptoms. Thanks to their request, the CDC has begun an investigation into the public health impacts of the Tijuana River Valley sewage pollution.

Earlier this year, the San Diego Congressional delegation reiterated their call to the President to declare a federal state of emergency to help address the pollution.

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