IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — Beachgoers at Imperial Beach are facing yellow warning signs despite the tempting summer heat, as sewage contamination continues to plague the shoreline.
The Environmental Protection Agency's administrator has announced an accelerated timeline for expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, promising completion by the end of summer.
"Everybody was waiting for summer. We can't go to the beach, c'mon. That's embarrassing," said Maria Gonzales, a resident in Imperial Beach.
The plant currently treats 25 million gallons of raw sewage coming from Tijuana every day. The expansion project would increase its capacity to 35 million gallons.
"It's been a while since I've paddled out here. It's getting worse," said Joshua Silva, a resident in Imperial Beach.
"It looks good, but the smell, I'm not going in," said another beachgoer.
The International Boundary and Water Commission says the project originally would have taken two years but now claims it will be completed in just over three months.
"Oh my God, that would be great," Gonzales said.
"That would be awesome. It would help us a lot," said one hopeful resident.
The IBWC and EPA credit the "aggressive leadership of the Trump Administration" for the expedited timeline. ABC 10News reached out this morning to ask how they were able to expedite the process, but our newsroom has not received an answer.
"Promises, promises... You have to actually do it," Gonzales said.
"Maybe with Trump in office and with his people involved, they're actually going to do it," said one skeptical visitor.
The Mayor of Imperial Beach says the ultimate fix requires expanding the plant to 75 million gallons per day and, more importantly, diverting and treating the Tijuana River itself to fully protect the coast.
"A lot of these guys do a lot of talking, let's do the walking. Fix it up," Silva said.
An EPA spokesperson says they're working on a 100% permanent solution to the problem, but wouldn't specify what that entails.
