San Diego County is expanding its ongoing response to South County health concerns regarding exposure to raw sewage flowing into the Tijuana River Valley.
This week, the county is expanding the South County Public Health website and finalizing an agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a community assessment.
“For years, communities in the Tijuana River Valley have suffered the severe impacts of pollution, creating one of the greatest environmental and social justice crises of our time,” said Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “As Chairwoman, I have tirelessly advocated for a stronger response, and this agreement with the CDC is a direct result of those efforts. While this is a critical next step in addressing the long-term impacts of transboundary pollution, I remain committed to continuing this fight and finding solutions that truly improve the quality of life for our South County families.”“
In May 2024, the County contacted the California Department of Public Health to request assistance in addressing the situation. Additionally, a formal request to the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) requesting an Epi-Aid survey in the Tijuana River Valley was submitted on June 25. The Epi-Aid was verbally approved on July 31, 2024.
The CDC Crisis Survey will assess household-level impacts in the southern San Diego County region in 2024 related to exposure to Tijuana River Valley wastewater, including air and water exposures. It will also examine occupational and environmental exposures, health effects, and concerns of at-risk populations, and identify information gaps, assess community needs, and generate household-level information.
Officially known as the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER), it will be conducted in collaboration between the county, the California Department of Public Health and San Diego State University. CASPERs are conducted sparingly. They are typically conducted when a community’s public health needs are not well known and population-representative data are needed.
The survey will involve several hundred households, and the county is working with the CDC to determine when interviews will begin. The CDC is responsible for the timing and release of data and any after-action reports.
The South County Public Health Services website, originally created on February 16, 2024, as a one-stop shop for health information related to the Tijuana River Valley wastewater crisis, is being renamed Surveillance Bulletin: Health Issues in the Southern Region to better reflect its expanding scope. Among the data currently being tracked is monitoring of gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting, in people who seek medical attention in the emergency room. Also being tracked will be communicable gastrointestinal diseases that state law requires medical providers to disclose.
Starting this week, the website will add respiratory syndromic surveillance that tracks reports of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms, including reactive airway disease, wheezing, and bronchospasm. This information was added in response to concerns raised about the respiratory impacts of odors attributed to Tijuana River Valley wastewater. The page is updated every Wednesday.
“Raw sewage discharge, associated odors and the potential for illness should not be a daily concern for anyone,” said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, interim county public health officer. “Public health has been working with the community to address their concerns about this ongoing pollution for over a year. The expanded website and ongoing partnership with the CDC are part of our ongoing commitment to be responsive and transparent to all residents in our region.”
To date, no significant unexplained respiratory increases have been observed in syndromic surveillance.
The updated site also offers a link to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) webpage focused on investigating numerous odor complaints from communities surrounding the Tijuana River Valley. (APCD is an independent government agency separate from San Diego County with its own board of directors.)
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