Past fixes here failed when maintenance went unfunded, so the money for upkeep matters as much as the money for construction.
Protect yourself from polluted air and water
Stay safe. Layer 1: At the coast. South Bay neighborhoods near the river
Especially during and after storms.
Check beach water status before going in the ocean, and watch county air quality alerts for hydrogen sulfide.
How to get involved: Use the county’s beach water quality site. Ask whether the county’s free air purifier program is still accepting applications.
Speak at County Board of Supervisors meetings
Speak up. Layer 2: At the border. San Diego County
When river funding is on the agenda.
Public comment shapes how local river money is spent, for example on the full Saturn Boulevard fix, permanent trash capture, or cross-border trash programs.
How to get involved: Watch agendas and submit written or in-person comments.
Learn about the November sales tax measure
Speak up. Layer 2: At the border. San Diego County ballot, November 3, 2026
Before Election Day.
The county’s proposed half-cent sales tax would help pay for the U.S.-side river diversion, the only project aimed at storm flows. Supporters point to that project; critics note it is a general tax with little direction on how the money is spent.
How to get involved: Read the measure and the county’s plan, and weigh the arguments on both sides.
Ask Congress and the EPA to fund upkeep, not just construction
Speak up. Layer 4: Root causes. Federal representatives and agencies
Ongoing.
Past fixes failed when maintenance went unfunded. Push for a durable maintenance account, the South Bay plant’s 50 MGD timeline, and adding trash to the binational agreements.
How to get involved: Contact your representatives and senators; follow EPA and IBWC quarterly updates.
Press for accountability on industrial waste
Speak up. Layer 4: Root causes. U.S. companies with plants in Tijuana
Ongoing.
No known industrial pretreatment program exists, and some chemicals can’t be removed by standard treatment. U.S.-owned manufacturers can be asked to audit how their subcontractors dispose of waste.
How to get involved: Follow San Diego Coastkeeper’s complaint to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, and support its water testing.