Latest updates, research, and solutions for the Tijuana River sewage crisis and coastal conservation in Imperial Beach and South Bay San Diego
It started with a smell. Not just any smell—a rotten egg stench so overpowering that it drove residents from their homes, closed beaches, and made the South Bay unlivable. But before the news outlets ...
In May 2022, San Diego County switched to ddPCR water quality testing, which produces a 56.3% false positive rate. This flawed methodology disproportionately harms Imperial Beach, the poorest beach community in San Diego, while failing to meet federal scientific standards.
San Diego County is pursuing a $23 million box culvert project that will permanently entrench the sewage crisis, require ponding sewage next to homes and schools, and force Border Patrol to work in sewage stench. C4CC exposes why this wasteful project should be rejected in favor of a $3 million solution to restore the historic river channel.
A groundbreaking 2023 study reveals critical differences between traditional Enterolert and newer ddPCR testing methods at Coronado beaches, with ddPCR showing a shocking 56.3% false positive rate that led to unnecessary beach closures.
How San Diego County switched to an unproven testing method that closes beaches 56% of the time when water is actually safe—and why C4CC is the only organization fighting to expose it.
C4CC is the only local nonprofit in the Tijuana River watershed with a proven, cost-effective solution to end the sewage crisis. Learn how operating PBCILA at full capacity can reduce transboundary pollution by 78% using off-the-shelf technology—at a fraction of the cost of new treatment plants.
A comprehensive analysis of International Boundary and Water Commission agreements reveals how Mexico's 1990 commitment to prevent all cross-border sewage discharges has been systematically undermined, shifting the financial and environmental burden to U.S. taxpayers.
How a well-intentioned Clean Water Act lawsuit by environmental NGOs inadvertently pushed federal agencies away from an efficient $300M solution toward a plan that will discharge 600% more sewage off Imperial Beach.
In October 2019, C4CC received a cease and desist letter from Surfrider Foundation for publishing factual analysis about their sewage plan. When we asked for clarification, they went silent. This is the story of how we became the local voice standing up to institutional power, fighting for the right of Imperial Beach residents to participate in decisions about their own future.
The founding story of Citizens for Coastal Conservancy, born from community rejection of flawed sea level rise policies in 2019. Learn how concerned Imperial Beach residents came together to demand rigorous science, transparent decision-making, and real coastal protection—principles that continue to guide our work today.
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