The San Diego-Tijuana region recently experienced its first rainstorm of the season, which dropped only half an inch of rain. However, this minor rainfall proved to be a major test for a new 1,000-foot-long boom designed to prevent trash from crossing the border and reaching the Pacific Ocean.
Originally, designers anticipated that the boom would block around 20 tons of trash, but its performance far exceeded expectations, successfully capturing a remarkable 50 tons. Oscar Romo, executive director of Alter Terra, an environmental binational agency involved in the boom’s design and installation, expressed satisfaction with its effectiveness. “It worked exactly the way we wanted,” he stated.
All of the debris collected originated in Mexico, and without the boom’s intervention, it would likely have polluted the Tijuana River Valley and the coastal areas. Romo emphasized the importance of this achievement, noting that if half an inch of rain produced such significant waste, an inch of rain could result in widespread contamination. “We stopped a lot of contamination that is plastics, oils, and all kinds of paint and solvents. This is not going to reach the ocean, which is of great value,” he added.
For decades, the Tijuana River Valley has been plagued by the influx of trash and millions of gallons of raw sewage from Mexico, particularly during heavy storms, resulting in chronic pollution of the area. Romo believes that the boom is a critical component of a broader strategy to combat this pollution, most of which can’t be recycled.
Looking ahead, Romo announced plans for crews to begin cleaning up the collected debris as the ground dries. “We’re also going to separate it; we want to see and determine what the composition is and gauge what is coming in,” he explained.
