Thread: Border gulch fill-in faces the wet test

Border gulch fill-in faces the wet test

All eyes on dirt deposit as rain season approaches

By Leslie Berestein
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 27, 2008

Three months after border fence construction began in a coastal canyon known as Smuggler's Gulch, crews have all but filled in the once-deep breach.

LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune
Border Patrol officials say Smuggler's Gulch is about a week away from being filled in with more than 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt that is forming a 140-foot-tall earthen berm, which is part of a border-fencing project.

Since mid-August, contractors have cut more than 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt from surrounding hills and deposited it into the canyon, creating a 140-foot-tall earthen berm that vehicles can now drive across.

While the fence has yet to be built, Border Patrol officials estimate the controversial fill-in is about a week from completion.

The project was for years contested by environmentalists who feared sediment runoff could damage the Tijuana River estuary, a claim countered by federal officials who promised to re-seed and stabilize the site to prevent erosion.

Now, with start of the winter rains this week and more rain expected, observers on both sides will get to see how well the massive project holds up.

“This is the first test,â€

Isn't the "Tijuana River estuary" already seriously damaged----by Tijuanans? Or did the US built treatment plant fix that problem?

Originally Posted by Captainron

Isn't the "Tijuana River estuary" already seriously damaged----by Tijuanans? Or did the US built treatment plant fix that problem?

Beaches at border closed by county health officials

November 27, 2008

IMPERIAL BEACH: County health officials closed border-area beaches yesterday after rain caused sewage-contaminated water from Mexico to enter the ocean.

The Department of Environmental Health posted signs notifying beach-goers of the contaminated water from the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge shoreline north to Carnation Avenue in Imperial Beach.
Closure signs will remain in place until new tests indicate the ocean water is safe.

Information on beach closures can be obtained by calling a 24-hour hotline, (619) 338-2073.

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