Connect with us

California

Sewage seeps into California beach city from Mexico, upending residents’ lives: “Akin to being trapped in a portable toilet”

Published

on

Sewage seeps into California beach city from Mexico, upending residents’ lives: “Akin to being trapped in a portable toilet”


California resident Shannon Johnson lives a few blocks from Imperial Beach’s turquoise water and waves of “perfect little curls” — but Johnson and her two young children haven’t stepped foot on the sand in a year.

“Every time we go by the beach they’re asking, ‘Is it going to be clean? When are they going to fix it?’” said Johnson, 45, a former activist with the Surfrider Foundation, who has been living in Imperial Beach, a small coastal city of 26,000 people 20 minutes from San Diego, since 2010.

Heavy metals, toxic chemicals and bacteria including E. coli have been detected in the water, according to a San Diego State University report released last month. Researchers called the contamination “a public health crisis.” It has resulted in over 700 consecutive days of beach closures, leaving residents like Johnson feeling confined indoors with no end in sight.

screen-shot-2024-03-15-at-1-01-56-pm.png
Flooding through Mexico’s Tijuana River brings sewage into Imperial Beach, California, which has led to 700 days of beach closures.

Advertisement

Prebys Foundation


Over the last five years, over 100 billion gallons of untreated sewage have flowed through Mexico’s Tijuana River and into the Pacific Ocean at the shores of the seaside town, contaminating the air, water and soil and posing environmental and public health hazards. 

In addition to concerns about exposure to contaminants, another factor stemming from the sewage is causing residents to stay inside: “It’s the worst smell. It gets into your lungs. It gets into your clothes. It’s disgusting,” Johnson said. 

Aging sewage plants and an “unbearable stink”

The sewage issue isn’t new— concerns about contamination of the Tijuana River date at least to the 1930’s — but the problem has worsened over the years. [“60 Minutes” reported on the problem in 2020 — watch more in the video player above.]

At the crux of it is two aging wastewater plants on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border: the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant. The former, situated in San Diego County, was constructed in the late 1990s to accommodate the influx of sewage from the growing population in Baja California, Mexico.

Advertisement

“Dangerous pathogens and chemicals in contaminated waters pose a spectrum of short and long-term health risks, spanning gastrointestinal issues to neurological disorders,” according to the SDSU report.

The plant has become overwhelmed as the population increased to over 3 million, as of 2020, and is ill-equipped to handle extreme weather events like Hurricane Hilary in 2023, which exacerbated existing issues with the plant’s infrastructure. On Jan. 11, Mexico marked the start of its rehabilitation efforts at the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tijuana, which releases millions of gallons of sewage a day into the Pacific Ocean. The country agreed to invest $33 million into replacing the decrepit plant and has also contributed $50 million toward the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

A sign near the beach in Imperial City, California
Sewage seeps into Imperial Beach, a California beach city, through Mexico’s Tijuana River causing beach closures and upending residents’ lives.

Prebys Foundation


In 2022, $300 million in federal funding was designated towards rehabilitating the plant, inspiring optimism among some residents. Marvel Harrison, 67, a psychologist who moved to Imperial Beach in 2020 with her retired husband, said they felt relieved when they learned about the funding. 

Advertisement

But since then, the plant has racked up $150 million in repairs, prolonging expansion efforts and prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask Congress for an additional $310 million. 

For Harrison and her husband, their future in Imperial Beach hinges on a timely solution. In 2015, the couple began the process of building their home on the water, investing in pricey features like custom windows to incorporate an indoor-outdoor living space. Now, nearly a decade later, the windows remain shut and they contemplate moving.

Marvel Harrison and her husband
Marvel Harrison, 67, a psychologist who moved to Imperial Beach in 2020 with her retired husband, has concerns about the sewage seeping into their town.

Marvel Harrison


“I find myself looking at other places we might be able to live. And that’s really disheartening given that this is where and how we wanted to be in retirement,” she said, noting that being in their sixties, “it’s not like we can wait.”

Advertisement

Johnson has been faced with a similar choice. Despite her husband’s family having roots in Imperial Beach stretching back to the 1950s, she said they often look at other options. “You live here to be outside, and we can’t really go outside and feel comfortable and safe,” she said. 

In a collection of letters from community members compiled by Harrison calling on elected officials to take action, one resident described the stink as “akin to being trapped in a portable toilet” — a smell so strong it wakes you up at night.

Potential health impacts reach beyond the stench

But the air carries more than just a stench. A recent study found evidence of coastal water pollution from the Tijuana River in sea spray aerosol capable of potentially diffusing far enough to reach places like schools and homes that wouldn’t otherwise be touched by the contamination. The implications of contamination by air are not yet known and need further study, according to the SDSU report, leaving some members of the community grappling for answers. 

Johnson, who said she has health issues and has had two unexplained pulmonary embolisms, worries about whether the environment could be a contributing factor. “In the back of my mind, I’m like, does that have something to do with the air that I’m breathing?” 

Her children, ages 9 and 10, attend elementary school near the river valley, where the smell can be especially strong. “They’re like, ‘Why is it so smelly? Is it safe?’” Johnson said. “I’m like, yeah, I guess so. What am I supposed to tell them?”

Advertisement
screen-shot-2024-03-15-at-12-59-58-pm.png
Flooding in Imperial Beach, California due to aging waste treatment plants.

Prebys Foundation


In some cases, residents’ concerns have led to lifestyle changes beyond being unable to enjoy the beach. 

Harrison, who said her community is in a state of “chronic angst,” thinks twice before inviting guests to stay at her house out of concern for potential health impacts. She said sewage is a constant topic of conversation within her social circles.

“As much as the stink permeates the air, the topic permeates the stress and anxiety of everybody’s life here,” she said. 

Advertisement

Another reminder of the sewage’s impact is its effect on wildlife. Bottlenose dolphins, increasingly found stranded in San Diego, are believed to have died from sepsis caused by a bacteria sometimes found in contaminated water. According to the SDSU report, the dolphins “serve as sentinels for the risk of possible human exposures to dangerous bacteria.”

Among the more pressing health threats to emerge from the sewage, according to the report, are human and livestock diseases from Mexico that have been eradicated in California, and antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

“There is a potential for both short- and long-term health risks associated with exposure, which really underscores the need for more comprehensive monitoring and research,” Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, one of the report’s lead authors, said in a recent news conference.

Imperial Beach has been hit by a wave of complications from the sewage. But for Johnson, the goal is simple: “I just want to see this resolved so that my kids can go back to the way it’s supposed to be and be able to enjoy the beach.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

California

California declares state of emergency as US suffers first severe human case of bird flu

Published

on

California declares state of emergency as US suffers first severe human case of bird flu


The U.S. reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday in a Louisiana resident who is hospitalized in critical condition after suspected contact with an infected backyard flock.

California, the most populous state, declared an emergency over the H5N1 virus as it spread more widely in dairy herds and after it has infected dozens of farm workers this year.

Federal and state officials have failed to control the nation’s outbreak, which infected dairy cattle for the first time in 2024, as some farmers resist testing and containment measures.

After the U.S. reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday in Louisiana, the state of California has declared an emergency over the H5N1 virus. Getty Images

Severe respiratory illness in the Louisiana patient shows increased health risks for people from the virus that previously caused eye redness, or conjunctivitis, in infected dairy workers.

Advertisement

Bird flu still represents a low risk to the general public, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

CDC has confirmed 61 human cases nationally since April, mostly in workers on dairy farms where the virus infected cattle.

Workers culling infected poultry also have tested positive.

The patient in Louisiana is suffering severe respiratory illness, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a statement.

The person is reported to have underlying medical conditions and is over the age of 65, the department said, putting the patient at higher risk.

Advertisement

The case is the first to be linked to backyard, non-commercial poultry, said Demetre Daskalakis, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, on a call with reporters.

The virus first infected dairy cattle in 2024 with some farmers resisting testing and containment measures. Getty Images

The CDC said a sporadic case of severe illness in a person with H5N1 bird flu is not unexpected as such cases have occurred in other countries in 2024 and prior years, including cases that led to death.

“The mild cases that we’ve seen in the United States largely reflect that many of the individuals are getting infected by dairy cows and that’s very different than getting infected with infected birds,” said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

“If you look at the genotype of this patient in Louisiana, it wasn’t the cattle strain. It was a wild bird strain.”

CDC said partial viral genome data from the infected patient shows that the virus belongs to the D1.1 genotype, recently detected in wild birds and poultry in the United States and in recent human cases in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state.

Advertisement

This genotype of the virus is different from the B3.13 genotype detected in dairy cows, human cases in multiple states, and some poultry outbreaks in the country, CDC said.

The patient in Louisiana who contracted bird flu is suffering from severe respiratory illness. AP

Bird flu has infected more than 860 dairy herds in 16 states since March and killed 123 million poultry since the outbreak began in 2022.

In California, the top U.S. milk-producing state, 649 herds have tested positive since late August, roughly 60% of its herds, according to U.S. data.

Four southern California dairies tested positive on Dec. 12, “necessitating a shift from regional containment to statewide monitoring and response,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in his emergency declaration.

Earlier cases had been centered in the Central Valley in the middle of the state.

Advertisement

The declaration aims to streamline and expedite California’s response by allowing more flexibility for staffing, contracting and other rules, Newsom said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it has enrolled 13 states in a newly launched national bulk milk bird flu testing plan, representing nearly half of the nation’s milk supply.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

California

Why Trump's looming battle with California over EVs will affect the entire auto industry

Published

on

Why Trump's looming battle with California over EVs will affect the entire auto industry


  • The Biden administration on Wednesday approved California’s ban on gas cars by 2035.
  • Trump has promised to revoke California’s authority to set strict limits on tailpipe pollution.
  • It’s a high-stakes fight over the future of electric vehicles and tackling the climate crisis.

The stage is set for another battle between President-elect Donald Trump and California over the state’s aggressive push for electric vehicles that could affect the rest of the country.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday said California can go ahead with its ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The approval is an attempt to safeguard the state’s strict limits on tailpipe pollution from Trump’s promise to revoke them and roll back other federal incentives for electric vehicles.

The stakes are high for automakers because what happens in California can dictate companies’ broader EV strategies and the pace of the country’s shift away from fossil fuels. The state accounts for some 11% of the US auto market and is also the top EV market in the country. In the first half of 2024, EVs and hybrids accounted for nearly 40% of sales in California.

Advertisement

On top of that, 11 other states and Washington D.C. have adopted rules similar to California’s as they seek to reduce the country’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The rules require automakers to sell a growing number of zero-emissions vehicles over time. In 2026, at least 35% of new cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs must be electric in California and five other states, while other states’ targets kick in in 2027.

Automakers largely support easing emissions regulations

While Trump will face legal challenges in trying to roll back California’s rules, he could find some automakers on his side.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobbying group representing most new vehicle manufacturers in the US, has already asked Trump to ease emissions regulations but keep federal tax incentives that keep EVs affordable.

John Bozzella, president of the alliance, said Wednesday that the waiver was an expected development and the Trump administration will likely revoke it next year.

Advertisement

“We’ve said the country should have a single, national standard to reduce carbon in transportation,” Bozzella said in a statement. “But the question about the general authority of California to establish a vehicle emissions program – and for other states to follow that program – is ultimately something for policymakers and the courts to sort out.”

Trump, some Republican lawmakers, and groups linked to fossil fuel interests have repeatedly attacked EVs on the campaign trail, falsely claiming that Americans would be forced to abandon their gas-powered vehicles.

Those attacks come as the EV market deals with a marked slowdown in demand, forcing many companies to reasses their long-term plans for battery-powered cars and, in some cases, add more hybrids to the mix. A pullback in production has made it harder for many companies to meet long-term emissions requirements. Automakers including General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis have laid off thousands of workers.

Auto market analysts, environmental lawyers, and policy experts told Business Insider that they expect the shift to zero-emissions vehicles to continue regardless of who’s in the White House — albeit at a slower pace if Trump and Congress overturn tax incentives to buy EVs and investments in charging infrastructure.

Advertisement

“Whatever the Trump administration does this time, automakers’ concerns about stability will come up again because all of these manufacturers have said zero-emissions vehicles are the future,” Sean Donahue, an attorney who’s represented the Environmental Defense Fund in litigation over California’s emissions waiver, said.

He added that there’s pressure from regulators in other countries to address the climate crisis. US automakers also don’t want to fall far behind competitors in countries like China, where affordable EVs have taken off.

California looks to ‘Trump-proof’ its regulations

Even if Trump does revoke California’s emissions waiver, Gov. Gavin Newsom is already trying to “Trump-proof” the state, including its EV and climate policies.

Newsom said he would restore rebates for consumers who buy EVs if Trump ends the federal $7,500 tax credits enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act. This month, the state’s energy commission approved a $1.4 billion investment in EV charging and hydrogen fuel stations over the next four years. The commission said the funding could help build nearly 17,000 new public chargers for passenger vehicles — on top of the 152,000 available now.

Advertisement

Newsom also convened a special legislative session to bolster California’s defenses against Trump’s attacks. Lawmakers could pass $25 million in new funding for the California Department of Justice so the state can file litigation against the Trump administration. That will likely happen if Trump revokes the state’s tailpipe pollution waiver.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition team, said that Trump plans to stop what he says are attacks on gas-powered cars.

“When he takes office, President Trump will support the auto industry, allowing space for both gas-powered cars AND electric vehicles,” she said in an email.

Advertisement

Ann Carlson, a professor of environmental law at the University of California at Los Angeles, told Business Insider that she expects the Trump administration to face an uphill legal battle.

She said the EPA has approved California’s authority to set strict rules for tailpipe pollution for decades because the state’s air quality is so bad. Otherwise, areas including Los Angeles and the Central Valley wouldn’t comply with federal air pollution laws and could be penalized.

“The sanction is the withholding of federal highway funds,” Carlson — who recently served as chief counsel to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — said. “It’s quite draconian. So California has a pretty good argument that it needs these waivers to meet federal law.”

The Supreme Court last week agreed to consider a lawsuit that oil and gas producers filed against the EPA over its waivers allowing California to set stricter limits on tailpipe pollution than the federal government. However, SCOTUS will only decide whether fossil fuel makers have standing to sue over what they say is bureaucratic overreach and won’t consider whether California’s waiver is legal.

Advertisement

James Di Filippo, a principal policy analyst at the research firm Atlas Public Policy, said automakers will likely continue to walk back their EV investments while the legal battles play out. Companies could seek another compromise with California to restore more certainty as they plan new vehicle models for years to come.

“If they’re uncertain about a regulatory outcome, they’ll default to a less intense push,” he said.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

California

Carnivorous squirrels documented in California

Published

on

Carnivorous squirrels documented in California


A California ground squirrel in Conta Costa County runs with a vole it hunted in its mouth. A study from UC Davis and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is the first to document widespread carnivorous feeding of voles by squirrels. Credit: Sonja Wild/UC Davis

A ground squirrel with cheeks stuffed with nuts, seeds or grains is a common sight. But a new study provides the first evidence that California ground squirrels also hunt, kill and eat voles. The study, led by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and University of California, Davis, is the first to chronicle widespread carnivorous behavior among squirrels.

Published in the Journal of Ethology, the study fundamentally changes our understanding of ground squirrels. It suggests that what was considered a granivorous species actually is an opportunistic omnivore and more flexible in its diet than was assumed.

The observations occurred in 2024—the 12th year of the Long-term Behavioral Ecology of California Ground Squirrels Project conducted at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County. Out of 74 observed interactions with voles between June and July, 42% involved active hunting of these small rodents by ground squirrels.

Advertisement

“This was shocking,” said lead author Jennifer E. Smith, an associate professor of biology at UW-Eau Claire who leads the long-term ground squirrels project with Sonja Wild of UC Davis.

“We had never seen this behavior before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people. We see them right outside our windows; we interact with them regularly. Yet here’s this never-before-encountered-in-science behavior that sheds light on the fact that there’s so much more to learn about the natural history of the world around us.”

Carnivorous squirrels documented in California
A California ground squirrel eats a vole it hunted in Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County. Credit: Sonja Wild, UC Davis

Wild has observed hundreds of squirrels in nature and yet, even for her, when the undergraduate students came in from field work and told her what they had witnessed, she said, “No, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Then she watched the video.

“I could barely believe my eyes,” said Wild, a postdoctoral research fellow in the UC Davis Environmental Science and Policy department. “From then, we saw that behavior almost every day. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.”

Opportunists amid rapid change

Through videos, photos and direct observations at the regional park, the authors documented California ground squirrels of all ages and genders hunting, eating and competing over vole prey between June 10 and July 30.

Advertisement

The squirrels’ carnivorous summer behavior peaked during the first two weeks of July, coinciding with an explosion of vole numbers at the park reported by citizen scientists on iNaturalist. This suggests the squirrels’ hunting behavior emerged alongside a temporary increase in the availability of prey, the study said. The scientists didn’t observe the squirrels hunting other mammals.

Carnivorous squirrels documented in California
A California ground squirrel dines on a vole it hunted in a Bay Area regional park. Credit: Sonja Wild, UC Davis

“The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviorally flexible and can respond to changes in food availability might help them persist in environments rapidly changing due to the presence of humans,” Wild said.

Smith added that many species, including the California ground squirrel, are “incredible opportunists.” From raccoons and coyotes to spotted hyenas and humans, the flexibility these mammals apply to their hunting strategies helps them change and adapt with the human landscape.

“Through this collaboration and the data coming in, we’re able to document this widespread behavior that we had no idea was going on,” Smith said. “Digital technology can inform the science, but there’s no replacement for going out there and witnessing the behavior because what animals are doing always surprises us.”

The researchers said many questions remain unanswered, including how widespread hunting behavior is among squirrels, whether and how it is passed down from parent to pup, and how it affects ecological processes.

Advertisement

The authors are also excited to return to the field next summer to see what impact, if any, this year’s vole hunting may have on squirrel reproduction compared to the past decade.

More information:
Vole hunting: Novel predatory and carnivorous behavior by California ground squirrels, Journal of Ethology (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s10164-024-00832-6

Citation:
Carnivorous squirrels documented in California (2024, December 18)
retrieved 18 December 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-12-carnivorous-squirrels-documented-california.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending