SOUTH BAY (KGTV) — Some South Bay residents are giving mixed reviews about the air purifiers the County is distributing to combat the odors from the Tijuana River Valley.
Other South Bay residents also question the effectiveness of the air purifiers, as no definitive date has been announced for when a permanent solution will be implemented.
The County's Air Pollution Control District has been distributing newer air purifiers to residents affected by sewage pollution, with new plans to provide households with multiple units while they wait for repairs to a major hotspot along Saturn Boulevard near the Tijuana River Valley.
Imperial Beach residents Baron Partlow and Clint Shipman received one of the newer Orani purifiers from the County a few weeks ago.
"There's a slight improvement," Partlow said.
However, Shipman believes the one purifier isn't enough.
"For this size room, you probably need two or three of them," Shipman said.
With the County recommending multiple purifiers to eliminate sewage odors, residents worry about increased electricity costs.
"It's going to drain your electricity bill. They're squeezing every penny they can out of us," Partlow said.
Shipman said his monthly electricity bill is expected any day now, and he's curious to see if the amount will be higher.
Both residents said they have been requesting air purifiers from the County since 2023, when the County first announced the purifier program, but only received their unit within the past few weeks.
The County's Air Pollution Control District announced earlier this week that they've hit a milestone, having distributed a total of 10,000 air purifiers so far.
Each air purifier cost the County $250 per unit. The County added that households should also have received two replacement filters with each unit, as each filter is designed to remove hydrogen sulfide and last for up to one year.
The County also announced its plans to invest another $1M to provide 3,500 additional units to eligible households.
For any South Bay households that have troubles with their purifiers or did not receive filter replacements, the County said to contact (858) 586-2779 or email filters@sdapcd.org
