San Diego (Fox 5/Kusi) – The Tijuana River has been severely polluted for decades, affecting the air and water quality of residents living near the Tijuana River Valley.
These issues plaguing the Tijuana River have prompted non-profit environmental advocacy group, American Rivers, to list the river as the second most endangered river in the United States in 2025.
The Tijuana River created the list in 2024 due to cross-border pollution, but the river appeared on the annual list of America’s most endangered rivers, ranked 9th last year.
This year, American rivers moved the Tijuana River among the endangered rivers in the country, behind only the Mississippi River.
Every day, down the Tijuana River, which crosses the US-Mexico border, every day, it goes up to 35-50 million gallons of contaminated rainwater, sewage, hazardous chemicals, garbage streams and the Pacific Ocean in San Diego’s South Bay.
The Surfrider Foundation and Un Mar De Colors held a press conference on Wednesday to announce their designation for the year. The press conference took place in the Tijuana River Valley, near the “hot spot” where dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide were detected.
Ongoing pollution has forced Imperial Beach, the southernmost beach in San Diego County, to close for more than 1,200 consecutive days.
Since January 1, 2025, approximately 10 billion gallons of contaminated water have flowed through the Tijuana River into the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, according to the Surfrider Foundation and the United Nations Mar de Colores.
The pollution flowing into southern San Diego County is causing health and environmental impacts for residents living in the area. In late 2024, the CDC went door-to-door to conduct a public health investigation. The results of the study found that the majority of residents say they have health concerns, symptoms and quality of life issues.
After a recent massive sewage runoff, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District is giving eligible people a free air purifier.
In the latest event, EPA’s Chiffreyseldin will visit the US-Mexico border in late April and will see firsthand the impact of the sewerage crisis after repeated calls for action from the federal government.
10 Most At-Risk Rivers in the United States by American Rivers:
American Rivers said their message “we must invest in solutions that protect river health and our country’s clean water security to stop the cycle of destruction.”
2025 marks the 40 years of America’s most endangered rivers, as American rivers highlighted some of the challenges they face and some of the solutions they have been able to achieve.
