Cross-border pollution has been a major issue for people living in the South Bay for years now. On Monday, California Sen. Steve Padilla plans to roll out a package of environmental justice legislation to address the issue.
The legislation would include halting development of a landfill that people who live in the area have previously criticized, saying it would only make the problem worse. It would also introduce fees for companies involved in polluting the Tijuana River.
"I'm getting poisoned slowly, 24 hours a day. Because they say that some kind of vapors are coming out of the dirty water," said Fermin Gonzalez, a resident of Imperial Beach who has lived in the area nearly all of his life. He told NBC 7 that he's concerned about his health because of the recent odor coming from the ocean.
As part of our NBC 7 Toxic Tide special coverage, we took a closer look at the science behind this growing issue. Researchers from San Diego State's School of Public Health talked about what they found in the water, soil, and air.
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"Pathogens including salmonella, vibrio, strep, listeria, hepatitis," said Paula Stigler Granados, a researcher with SDSU.
At the local level, the Imperial Beach City Council recently approved setting up more odor-monitoring stations. This is all part of a five-year plan with the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District. The goal is to get an idea of what kind of chemicals are in the air, collect that data, and then send it to state and federal agencies both here in the U.S. and Mexico. Some of these devices have already been installed along the Tijuana River.
These newer devices will be used to measure hydrogen sulfide, a smell that's best described as rotten eggs. It's a smell that Imperial Beach locals are all too familiar with.
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"You have to close your windows at night. You cannot sleep with your windows open anymore because there's some kind of chemical smell or sewage smell that's just — it literally makes you gag in your sleep," said Jose Estrada, an Imperial Beach native.
Estrada tells NBC 7 that he's at his wit's end when it comes to the cross-border pollution. While he is still optimistic about any kind of legislation, he's hoping that something is done sooner rather than later.
"This is it. This is mother earth, man. We have to take care of her," said Estrada.
A news conference will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Monday in San Ysidro, where Sen. Steve Padilla alongside community leaders, labor leaders, and environmental advocates will unveil the package of legislation.
