The Issue

For more than 1,000 straight days the beaches of Imperial Beach, Coronado, and Silver Strand have been closed or posted due to raw sewage flowing north from the Tijuana River. Families can’t swim, small businesses are losing millions, and over 1,100 Navy SEAL candidates have fallen ill training in contaminated surf. Permanent treatment-plant upgrades won’t be finished until 2028–29. Our community can’t wait five more years.

A shovel-ready, temporary fix exists:

  • 42-inch HDPE pipeline that diverts the river two miles offshore, beyond the surf zone.

  • High-capacity pumps move up to 60 million gallons a day — enough to intercept 90% of flows except the biggest storms.

  • Peracetic-acid dosing disinfects the water inside the pipe; by the time it reaches the diffuser it meets marine-life standards.

  • Deployment time: 6 weeks once permits and funding are secured.

  • Total five-year cost: ≈ $10 million — a fraction of local tourism losses.

What we’re asking for

  • Governor Newsom and the State Legislature — allocate emergency funds from the state’s climate-resilience or disaster-relief reserves.

  • U.S. EPA & IBWC — issue an expedited, 30-day emergency NPDES/WDR order so construction can start this summer.

  • California Coastal Commission — approve an Emergency Coastal Development Permit with robust monitoring.

  • County & City leaders — publicly endorse the bypass, streamline local encroachment and access permissions, and coordinate daily water-quality testing.

Why this matters

  • Public health: kids, surfers, and Navy trainees are being poisoned.

  • Economy: South Bay beach towns lose an estimated $20 million+ each year in visitor spending.

  • Environment: chronic sewage kills nearshore ecosystems; an offshore, treated discharge will be heavily diluted.

Useful Links

https://scripps.ucsd.edu/crossborderpollution

https://sccoos.org

https://data.caloos.org/#module-metadata/bd85b0d7-be99-45d3-9d1e-c14110170f16

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/dev/wcofs/wcofs_info.html

https://data.caloos.org/#map

https://legacy.sccoos.org/data/tracking/IB/

https://sccoos.org/stormwater-plume-tracking/

https://www.waterandwastewater.com/peracetic-acid-in-wastewater-treatment/

Whose plan is this?

My name is Parker Shinn and I provide marine consulting services to rocket companies designing recovery and reuse systems.

I am also a concerned 4th generation Coronado resident who, like many others, would like to swim in the ocean before another 5 years go by. I think our neighbors in Imperial Beach deserve clean air, and our Navy SEALs shouldn’t get sick during training.

This plan provides a rapid, simple and cost effective solution that uses proven technologies and could be implemented before summer is over with only a couple million dollars.

I researched and put together the plan in my spare time over the weekend. I welcome any feedback and hope we can get a rapid solution off the ground asap.

Thank you for taking the time to look it over and I’d appreciate it if you would sign the petition. If you own a local business and would like to voice your support please send me a message.

Contact us