Anyone who lives in the South Bay is probably saying it’s about time.
And anyone who lives in San Diego who knows the importance of tourism to our economy should also be saying it’s about time.
It’s about time that some serious action is being taken by state government officials to do something about a problem that has gone on for years.
The problem is the untreated sewage from Mexico’s broken sewage system in Tijuana flowing into the ocean waters on the U.S. side of the border, closing the beaches from the border to Coronado, and making swimming or surfing unhealthy and dangerous.
The Imperial Beach waters alone have been closed for several months every year in recent years.
Finally this week, the same week that San Diego tourism officials were touting good numbers about visitors and predicting continued increases in visitors, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that the state will join a local and regional lawsuit against the federal government to require that something be done about it, saying it is a violation of the Clean Water Act..
Several local cities filed suit earlier this year after they said the Trump administration had ignored repeated requests to do something to get this serious problem fixed.
For the health and safety of us who live in San Diego and for the health of our tourism economy, stopping the flow of sewage along our beautiful beaches will only happen if those in Washington decide to do something about it. And no, building a wall for a half a mile out into the ocean is probably not the answer.
(Photo credit Getty Images)