San Diego

More Than 100K Gallons of Sewage Spilled in Yogurt Canyon: Officials

The spill was finally contained after two days, with sewage flowing at a rate of 90 gallons per minute into the area

More than 100,000 gallons of sewage spilled into Border Field State Park's Yogurt Canyon for at least a few days from Tijuana, as a result of crumbling infrastructure, a Water Commission official said.

"It's disgusting. And I am dealing with it when I am fishing on the beach. You can see it coming up," said Susie Thompson, a resident of Imperial Beach.

The ongoing sewage spill has been contained. The sewage was flowing at a rate of 90 gallons per minute into the area, the Department of Environmental Health said. The Department has not released when the spill started. 

Residents are frustrated that Tijuana has a lot of sewage spills that foul the river in the South Bay. Currently, there have been 21 reports of sewage spills in Tijuana that impacted neighborhoods in San Diego.

"My horse got an infection from it. Something needs to be done," said Thompson.

Border Field State Park lies along the U.S.-Mexico border in Imperial Beach, south of downtown San Diego.

Most of the spilled sewage has been soaked up by the vegetation and soil in the area, officials said. As of now, no crews are cleaning up. 

The access road to Friendship Park, within the park, may also be affected by sewage-filled runoff, the department said. Officials recommend avoiding the area.

Warning signs have been posted in the area, telling visitors and locals to avoid contact with contaminated water. As of Thursday, the spill has not reached the beach. 

One local resident, Caroline Sullivan, told NBC 7 that the issue is particularly frustrating because it keeps happening.

"Being horse people, it's upsetting to see the environment that we live in and work in every day tarnished, you know...Especially since it seems to be a reoccurring problem around here -- it's just gross," said Sullivan.

Officials say old and crumbling infrastructure in the area is the reason the spill started, and why sewage spills keep occurring in the area.

In February, more than an estimated 28 million gallons of sewage spilled into the Tijuana River and U.S. waters, near Border Field State Park, after a pipe collapsed in Tijuana. 

For more information on the Tijuana River, please call the U.S. International Boundary & Water Commission at 619-662-7600.

For updates on beach closure information please visit their website or call the 24-hr. hotline at (619) 338-2073

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