Tijuana River pollution travels farther than expected before entering the air

Waste dumped into the Tijuana River can travel at least 20 miles, or 32 kilometers, from its source before becoming airborne and affecting the air in San Diego, Phys.org reported. Research conducted by the University of California, Riverside found that this distance is seven times farther than previously expected. [1]

The Tijuana River carries a complex mixture of untreated sewage from toilets, industrial waste, and urban runoff into the Pacific Ocean at Imperial Beach, according to Phys.org. The study, published in Scientific Reports, examined how wastewater chemicals aerosolize after moving downstream. [1]

The Tijuana River is an intermittent river measuring 120 miles, or 195 kilometers, long near the Pacific coast of northern Baja California state in Mexico and Southern California in the United States. Its lower reaches are heavily polluted with raw sewage from Tijuana, Mexico. The river estuary forms the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is the largest intact coastal wetland remaining in southern California and sustains more than 370 bird species. [3][4]

Phys.org noted that the findings highlight how transboundary water pollution moves beyond the immediate entry point to impact regional air quality across the border. [1]