More than two miles of beaches were closed over the weekend after sewage-contaminated runoff from the Tijuana River entered the U.S. waters.
On Saturday, the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health issued a water contact closure from the border to the south end of Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach. Officials did not specify how long the closure would be in effect.
The contact closure includes the shoreline at the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park.
The agency warned people should avoid going into the water until testing has deemed it is safe for recreational use. Signs will be posted to notify beachgoers of the closures.
Contaminated waters tend to flow northwest via the Tijuana River, which crosses the border just west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, through the Tijuana River Estuary and into the Pacific Ocean south of Imperial Beach.
To check the status of all San Diego beaches, visit the county’s website or call its hotline at (619) 338-2073.
