Supervisor Paloma Aguirre

Recently elected San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre took office in July promising to wield the full powers of her new job against the sewage crisis in the Tijuana River. 

Two San Diego County supervisors on Wednesday praised a decision by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board to expand treatment capacity at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. In a statement, Paloma Aguirre and Joel Anderson said a cease-and-desist order will allow the plant to treat an additional 10 million gallons per day, from 25 million gallons to 35 million gallons.

On Wednesday, County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria unveiled one of the signs. We want to make sure that our recreationists, our visitors, our ranchers, our farmers, who come or live or work in the river valley are well aware of the potential for exposure to the hydrogen sulfide gases,” said Aguirre. 

San Diego County Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria unveiled new warning signs at two Tijuana River sewage "hot spots" Wednesday morning. The signs were displayed at Dairy Mart Road and Saturn Boulevard. 

San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre was more cautious. She said the agreement does not necessarily address the range of dangerous chemicals the river is carrying. As it flows to the U.S. side, it may have gone through a sewage treatment plant, but that may only remove bacterial contaminants, not industrial pollutants.