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  1. #1
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    U.S. considers building sewage plant in Tijuana

    www.signonsandiego.com



    U.S. considers building sewage plant in Tijuana

    By Terry Rodgers
    UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
    August 14, 2005

    The federal government is negotiating with private investors to build a sewage treatment plant in Tijuana that would discharge treated wastewater from Mexico through an outfall in the United States.

    The Bajagua Project LLC, headed by San Diego entrepreneur Jim Simmons and Enrique Landa, an architect born in Mexico, would involve a 20-year contract to build a $200 million sewer system that further treats wastewater currently discharged off Imperial Beach.

    The project's secondary treatment plant in eastern Tijuana would also make reclaimed water available to maquiladora manufacturing plants in Mexico.

    Negotiations between Bajagua, a U.S. company, and the International Boundary and Water Commission began after the public-private partnership was designated the "preferred alternative" in a final environmental impact report published last month.

    The preferred alternative calls for an unusual cross-border transfer of sewage that will require construction of pipelines and pump stations.

    Raw sewage currently flows from Mexico into the United States via the Tijuana River, where it is intercepted at the U.S. government's plant, which has a daily capacity of 25 million gallons.

    Under the Bajagua plan, sewage partially treated at the U.S. plant, on the San Diego-Tijuana border, would be pumped 12.5 miles back into Mexico for secondary treatment at a 59 million-gallon capacity plant along the Rio Alamar near Tijuana, then piped back to the United States and discharged through the South Bay ocean outfall 3.5 miles offshore.

    Effluent from the existing primary treatment plant, which has been operating since 1999, is toxic to marine life and doesn't comply with federal Clean Water Act or California Ocean Plan standards. Under a court settlement, the commission must comply with environmental standards by Sept. 30, 2008.

    State Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, questions the wisdom of contracting with a private U.S. company to complete a public works project in Mexico. The public-private partnership doesn't have enough safeguards to ensure the sewer infrastructure will work as expected and be maintained properly, she said. The project would be more suitable in collaboration with the North American Development Bank or Border Infrastructure Fund, she said.

    "This is not a financially sound way to do public projects," Saldaña said. "I don't see the merits of this from a financial, engineering or management perspective."

    Saldaña said she is further troubled that the federal government has agreed to negotiate a no-bid contract with Bajagua, which has spent $20 million on feasibility studies, engineers and lobbyists to reach this point.

    Although the federal government is negotiating with Bajagua as a sole-source contractor, competitive bids will be required for construction of the project, said Sally Spener, spokeswoman for the commission.

    Bajagua spokesman Craig Benedetto said concerns that profits will take priority over performance are unfounded. Bajagua, which intends to operate the plant after it's built, won't be paid unless the treated sewage meets Clean Water Act standards, Benedetto said.

    The proposed sewage treatment plant is planned for a 230-acre parcel near the eastern city limits of Tijuana at the confluence of Rio Alamar and Rio Tijuana. The land is privately owned but under the control of the Mexican government, Benedetto said.

    Bajagua is required to put up a 20 percent equity stake in the plant, an amount that could range from $20 million to $40 million, Benedetto said, adding that Citibank has agreed to provide the construction loan. Construction is expected to take 18 months.

    "It will be built in Mexico, where the problem is created in the first place, and it will be built with environmentally preferred technology and at a capacity to meet the need," he said. "This is the only way to create this resource in an area that has a serious water deficit."

    Bajagua will make money by billing the federal government for operating and maintaining the plant, plus any sales of reclaimed water.[/img]
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    Bajagua will make money by billing the federal government for operating and maintaining the plant, plus any sales of reclaimed water.[/img]
    Let me get this straight, an American firm is building a sewage plant in Mexico which will pump sewage into the sovereign United States, dump it into our coastal waters and U.S. Taxpayers will cough up the dough for the privilege.
    Have we taken complete and total leave of our senses? I have a suggestion. Tell the damn Mexican government to fix the problem or we will will pump their sewage out of the Tijuana river back into Mexico and exact a toll on them for doing it. Then if they fail to pay the toll, we will take whatever military action is necessary to force them to.

    Is there no limit to the screwing that American taxpaying citizens have to take? Are we such moronic sheep that we sit here and take this crap (literally)?

    Any politician who votes for something so insane as this should be impeached or recalled and imprisoned.
    When we gonna wake up?

  3. #3
    Senior Member dman1200's Avatar
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    Is there no limit to the screwing that American taxpaying citizens have to take? Are we such moronic sheep that we sit here and take this crap (literally)?
    No and Yes
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    Quote:
    Is there no limit to the screwing that American taxpaying citizens have to take? Are we such moronic sheep that we sit here and take this crap (literally)?


    No and Yes
    Apparently you are right!
    When we gonna wake up?

  5. #5
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    Here's the reason they want to build the sewage plant. We have to clean up Mexico's sewage to keep it off our beaches. Unfortunately Mexico won't do it.


    Click Here for List of Beach Closures from Sewage Spills



    www.signonsandiego.com


    Imperial Beach waters off limits


    Sewage contamination closes beaches for 24 of past 29 days
    By Janine Zúñiga
    UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
    January 26, 2005

    IMPERIAL BEACH – Beaches from the north end of town to the border remained closed yesterday due to sewage-contaminated waters, making this rainy season one of the worst in recent memory for beach closures.

    Local clean-water groups are organizing public meetings to discuss the foul and unsafe waters that, most recently, have caused the closure of Imperial Beach ocean waters for 24 of the past 29 days. The waters were reopened briefly from Jan. 14 through Jan. 18 but then closed again.

    "This is as bad as we've ever seen it," said Serge Dedina, executive director of local conservation team Wildcoast. "We've basically had nonstop closures since it started raining in October."

    The next meeting to discuss why the beaches have been polluted and what can be done to keep them clean is scheduled for tomorrow from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Winn Room of the Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave. For information, call (619) 423-8665.

    San Diego broke the longest dry spell in its history – 182 days with no measurable rainfall – with heavy rains in October. Starting Oct. 17, two major storms broke regional records for daily and monthly rainfall amounts.

    November was less remarkable. However, another major storm Dec. 27-29 caused major flooding and damage around the county. A series of strong storms then hit the county Jan. 7-11.

    Since Oct. 17, the entire Imperial Beach shoreline from Carnation Avenue to the border was closed eight times for a total of 56 out of the past 101 days. "Over the past 25 years in Imperial Beach, this ranks among the top three most polluted times in my experience," Dedina said. "Back in the early 1980s, we had beaches closed for up to six months out of the year."

    Dedina said with heavy rains, untreated sewage and urban runoff from Mexico flood through the Tijuana River north across the border and out to sea at Imperial Beach. He said millions of gallons flowed into U.S. waters after the October, December and January rains. Currents then pushed the pollution north.

    "What was really disturbing this past weekend was that there were a lot of people in the water, lots of children playing in that water," said Dedina, who described it as "dirty brown, smelly water" with a "toilet" odor.

    Wildcoast, San Diego Baykeeper and the Surfrider Foundation held a public forum in Imperial Beach last week to discuss the polluted waters. More than 60 Imperial Beach residents, including many young surfers, attended.

    After discussing the source of pollutants, Dedina asked who in the audience had gotten sick after surfing in the polluted water. Eight people raised their hands.

    The county Department of Environmental Health closes beaches when preliminary tests detect high levels of bacteria, indicating the water contains potentially harmful microorganisms from human or animal waste.

    The county also closes beaches when visual observations show the water to be contaminated and ocean data indicates strong currents that may move pollutants north quickly. Advisories are issued routinely for all coastal waters after heavy rains, warning against water contact for 72 hours.

    Contaminated water may contain bacteria, viruses and other organisms that can make people sick, mostly from swallowing the water. Forecasters are calling for more rain today.





    www.signonsandiego.com


    Despite warnings of heavy sewage contamination, people still entering ocean

    By Janine Zúñiga
    STAFF WRITER

    January 7, 2005

    Recent heavy rains have swept raw sewage into South Bay coastal waters at a rate some say hasn't been seen in 20 years, yet surfers are still riding waves and fishermen are still eating the fish they catch there.
    Conditions are so bad that the local conservation group Wildcoast has declared South Bay beaches and the Tijuana River Valley an ecological disaster area. The group says there is an "unprecedented amount of sewage" coming from Tijuana into U.S. waters.

    Wildcoast executive director Serge Dedina said the rain-swollen Tijuana River has deposited hundreds of millions of gallons of "chocolate brown raw sewage" and storm water runoff from the river north to Coronado. Weather forecasters are predicting up to 6 inches of rain on the coast this weekend.

    Dedina said Wildcoast issued its own warning because despite beach closure signs warning of sewage-contaminated water in Imperial Beach – posted at every beach entrance and on the sand – people continue to go in the ocean.

    "It's like surfing in your toilet," Dedina said. "County officials test for E. coli and bacteria, but there are a whole host of other things that might be in there, like cholera. The numbers went off the charts. People say they're getting throat infections and ear infections. It's a public health issue."

    This week, Aaron Quintanar, a Wildcoast program manager, pointed out over the ocean at Imperial Beach toward two broad bands of sewage, one near the shore and one farther out. He said the bands cover a mile-wide area and can be seen stretching from the Tijuana River to Coronado.

    The county Department of Environmental Health closes beaches and issues advisories when tests detect high levels of bacteria, indicating the water contains potentially harmful microorganisms from human or animal waste.

    Clay Clifton, a spokesman for the county health department, said the latest test results show "multiple bacterial indicators exceeding state standards by multiple magnitudes."

    The results triggered beach closures at Border Field State Park, Coronado, Imperial Beach, Silver Strand State Beach and the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. Pacific Beach was closed because of a separate sewage spill and has reopened. The South Bay beaches were closed Dec. 28 and remained closed as of yesterday.

    A general advisory remains in effect for the coastal waters of San Diego County. County officials advise against water activities for 72 hours after heavy rains.

    Surfer Tim Tidaback, 23, disregarded the posted signs at Imperial Beach and got in the water Wednesday in a full-body wet suit. He said he has never gotten sick after surfing in Imperial Beach.

    "It's always like this after it rains," said Tidaback, as he paddled near the pier. "I usually wait a day after it rains, but I don't have much time to surf this week. I've been out on worse days when there was no rain."

    The water off Imperial Beach is especially polluted because of its proximity to the border. The heavy rains cause runoff from Tijuana's streets and from sewage that overflows from a diversion and pumping station in Tijuana. That runoff and sewage enters the Tijuana River, which heads north across the border and west out to sea in Imperial Beach.

    When it rains hard enough, sewage bypasses the pumping station altogether, meaning raw sewage flows into the river and out to sea. On Dec. 28, the river flow increased from about 160 gallons per second at 9 a.m. to nearly 1,060 gallons per second at 9:15 a.m., according to county measurements.

    Dedina said figures show the river flow measured about 190 million gallons for the day on Dec. 28. On Dec. 29, the flow measured more than 600 million gallons.

    "It's millions of gallons of raw sewage," Dedina said. "It's really dirty. It's a lot worse than what people are saying."

    Contaminated water may contain bacteria, viruses and other organisms. Results of people entering the water can include vomiting, fever, diarrhea, skin rashes, and sinus or ear infections, according to the county's Web site. Most people get sick by swallowing the water.

    Seth Fisher, a local elementary school teacher, believes he got a fungal lung infection after surfing off Imperial Beach in mid-December, before the heavy rains. He is convinced he got it from ocean water.

    "You get to know the water pretty well after 40 years of surfing," Fisher said. "I could tell by the color of the water, the smell, the flavor, the chemical nature of it. My mouth was burning. My nose was burning. I can't attribute it to anything else."

    Fisher said he has friends who have gotten ringworm and ear infections after surfing. He said he hasn't been in the water since he got sick but plenty of others continue to surf.

    Samples taken from this week's storms are still being tested, Clifton said. Routine testing Dec. 27 showed samples taken from areas along Coronado with bacteria levels that did not exceed state standards. In fact, the numbers were far below the contamination threshold. Test results from samples taken from the same areas and Imperial Beach on Dec. 29 and 30, after the rains, show numbers that far exceeded state standards.

    Quintanar, who also is a part-time Imperial Beach lifeguard, said the contamination hasn't been this bad since the large El Nin~o storms of the early 1980s.

    Dedina said local and federal officials have not done enough to address the chronic water pollution problem in south coastal waters. He said more could be done in Tijuana and San Diego.

    Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, agrees more needs to be done to prevent contamination. He said he helped draft legislation for a public-private plan to treat sewage in Mexico to a cleaner level. That plan, known as Bajagua, has received recent approval to move forward.

    Imperial Beach Mayor Diane Rose said that despite great strides in improving water quality, the city is still next to Tijuana, a major metropolitan area without a proper sewer system.

    "I don't believe we're ever going to be able to control (sewage flows)," Rose said. "We just need to be aggressive about educating people about not going into the water after major storms and rain events."

    Rose said city officials are willing to meet with Wildcoast to discuss ideas that may help.

    Wildcoast officials have begun an ocean-monitoring alert system that allows surfers to receive water- quality updates via e-mail for conditions from the border to Coronado. They can sign up atwww.wildcoast.net.

    "We're getting daily reports from the county," Dedina said. "It's been really helpful. People are getting the word. Prior to our reports, there were about 20 to 30 people out here. Now, there are just a few."
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  6. #6

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    A threat of serious consequences by our government could change all this...but that won't happen because Mexico is a "strategic partner."

    More like strategic leech!
    When we gonna wake up?

  7. #7
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    Ran across a new article.

    www.signonsandiego.com

    Final talks are set on sewage plant

    UNION-TRIBUNE
    October 1, 2005

    A federal agency yesterday cleared the way for final negotiations with a private firm to build a wastewater treatment plant in Baja California that will help reduce sewage spills into the Tijuana River.

    The International Boundary and Water Commission has chosen Bajagua Project LLC, a company based in Rancho Santa Fe, for the project. The two sides aim to complete talks on a 20-year contract for construction of a 59-million-gallon sewage plant east of Tijuana.

    A public meeting to discuss the decision has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at Southwest High School, 1685 Hollister St., in San Diego. People scheduled to address the audience include the commission's acting director, Carlos Marin; its acting chief administrative officer, Diana Forti; and acting principal engineer, Steve Smullen.
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