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News *No Bad Days, Imperial Beach, CA (What beach closure?)
[Bad day at the beach]
mperial Beach has once again been recognized for its polluted beaches, being named a
by Serge Dedina
29/06/2007:// To regular ocean users in Imperial Beach this came as no surprise. To put it bluntly, they are used to surfing, swimming, and fishing in sh*t. However, to Imperial Beach's new mayor, Jim Janney, the sewage-contamination signs dotting the beach are little more than an inconvenience to the City's marketing efforts. In a question and answer with the Voice of San Diego, during which Janney is described as wearing a shirt claiming "No Bad Days, Imperial Beach, CA," the Mayor is quoted saying that it doesn't matter that the southernmost part of the beach including the Tijuana Sloughs, was closed for 198 days in 2006, since "nobody uses that as the beach to go hang out and put your towel down." Irregardless of the fact that I.B.'s two best surf spots are at this beach, lets examine why so few families picnic here. Could it be because it's so polluted? Is this a public image problem or reality?
When asked if sewage coming from the Tijuana River is a "major problem", Janney sidesteps, claiming that the pollution issue is just a media stunt to sell newspapers, and that the beach should not have been closed as many days as it was. He concludes by stating Imperial Beach "wasn't closed more than anywhere else when it rains....". The fact is when it rains, other beaches in the County are posted for advisories to not go in the water due to "urban runoff", while Imperial Beach is outright closed, due to "sewage contamination". Advisories at other beaches typically last for three days, while closures in Imperial Beach often last for more than a week, and in the case of our southernmost beaches, last the whole winter and spring, from the first rain to the last.
It would be great if the pollution from the Tijuana River were only a public image problem, blown out of proportion by the media. A couple of well placed phone calls, and hey, problem solved. Yet the reality for Imperial Beach ocean users is that their beach is among the most polluted in the country, and represents a serious environmental health threat. The evidence is there. Imperial Beach's two best surf spots, Boca Rio and Tijuana Sloughs were closed for 198 days in 2006, with the entire Imperial Beach coastline closed for a total of 56 days. In the same year, San Diego State researchers found Hepatitis A in 80% of the water samples off the Imperial Beach Pier. Just two months ago, a study by Cory Briggs for the San Diego Foundation identified Tijuana River pollution as the biggest environmental health threat in Southern California. WiLDCOAST surveys taken last year found that two-thirds of regular ocean users in Imperial Beach reported a water-contact related ocean illness after surfing or swimming at local beaches last year.
Unfortunately the Mayor's rose-colored shades have nothing to do with the community's need for clean water. For local surfers, fishers, and business owners, every day the beach is closed is a bad day. Until the City of Imperial Beach wakes up to reality, its up to the community to show the problem for what it is: Sewage contaminated flows from the Tijuana River represent a serious threat to the health, economy and future of Imperial Beach and south San Diego County communities.
*To this end, WiLDCOAST is launching a contest to tell Imperial Beach's Mayor about your "Good Days" of beach closers and sewage contamination. The contest guidelines are simple: Just email the Mayor (jimjanney@oappkg.com) your pollution and beach closure stories with the subject heading "Good Days in I.B." and copy WiLDCOAST (info@wildcoast.net). The writer of the best letter will receive a prize pack consisting of a surfboard, a Hepatitis A vaccination, and eardrops. Good Luck!!!
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