(Image Credit: IMAGN) A sign along the Arroyo Simi in Moorpark warns of possible sewage contamination on Thursday, May 4, 2023. County officials recently detected a sewer line break that has sent millions of gallons of raw sewage into the channel.
San Diego, California – Coronado residents and visitors to San Diego County will have to find another spot to swim this Memorial Day. County health officials announced on Saturday that the entire western shoreline of Coronado—from Avenida Lunar in the south to North Beach in the north—will remain closed due to sewage contamination from the Tijuana River Valley.
This closure adds to existing restrictions along other South County shorelines, including the Silver Strand and Imperial Beach, which have been off-limits for some time. Officials warn that swimming or coming into contact with water in these areas while bacteria levels remain elevated can cause illness. The beaches will remain closed until testing confirms the water is safe again.
The contamination spike follows repair work conducted earlier this month on a critical sewage line connecting the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater plant in Mexico to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the United States. To fix the line, wastewater was temporarily diverted into the Tijuana River, increasing the flow of raw sewage into coastal waters. While the South Bay plant tried to capture as much of this diverted sewage as possible, it is undergoing construction and struggling with maintenance, limiting its capacity.
Though authorities completed the repair work last week, it remains unclear whether the current closure is due to residual effects from that project or the ongoing chronic sewage crisis in the region. The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and Quality has confirmed the Tijuana River is actively discharging sewage into recreational waters, posing health risks.
Visitors like Kim Stamper, who traveled from Tucson with her family, were disappointed to find Imperial Beach closed. “The kids would have loved to get in the water more,” she said, though her grandson Jesse James was undeterred, playing in the waves despite the warnings.
While the air did not carry the heavy sewage odor common in past incidents, the county extended beach closures as more water samples are collected and analyzed. Meanwhile, advisories remain for several other popular coastal spots, including La Jolla Cove and the San Luis Rey River Outlet, where bacteria levels exceed state safety standards.
Some beaches, like Mission Beach, remain open for swimming, though lifeguards caution about dangerous rip currents and high swells. The ocean temperature is expected to rise in the coming weeks, attracting sting rays, which are responsible for thousands of injuries annually in Southern California. Experts recommend swimming at guarded beaches to reduce risk.
For now, San Diego beachgoers face a holiday weekend marked by caution and disappointment as authorities work to ensure the safety of the region’s cherished coastal waters.
