SOUTH BAY (KGTV) — Some South Bay residents are giving mixed reviews about the air purifiers the The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) 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 San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) is an independent government agency of the County of San Diego. It began distributing air purifiers to residents affected by sewage pollution in February 2025.
On Wednesday, the County Board of Supervisors announced 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 Oransi 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 SDAPCD recommending multiple purifiers to eliminate sewage odors, residents are concerned about higher 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 during a separate air purifier program, but just received their first unit within the past few weeks.
SDAPCD announced earlier this week that it has reached a milestone, having distributed a total of 10,000 air purifiers to date.
Each air purifier costs the County $250 per unit. SDAPCD 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.
SDAPCD 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
According to a new survey from SDAPCD about 8 out of 10 people who received a free purifier say it helped cut down on sewage-related odors inside their homes.
More than 4,700 households received purifiers through the Air Improvement Relief Effort, or AIRE program. Of those, over 1,200 residents responded to the survey, and nearly half of respondents said they’re running their machines for nine hours or more each day, showing just how much people are relying on them.
Beyond reducing odors, residents also reported real health and comfort benefits—like better sleep, fewer headaches, less coughing, and fewer allergy and asthma symptoms.
The program was launched by the San Diego Air Pollution Control District to give some relief to communities hit hardest by cross-border pollution, including Otay Mesa West, San Ysidro, Nestor, Imperial Beach, and neighborhoods near the Tijuana River Valley.
