[This page still needs writing]
The layout, navigation and links are in place. The words are not, because they have to come from the sources rather than be made up.
What it should cover:
- Why the dry season and the rainy season have different main sources, and what that means for when the beach closes.
- What the Scripps modeling actually found, and how confident it is.
- Why the canyon figures are poorly documented, and what would change that.
- What the treated discharge from the South Bay Ocean Outfall is, and why it is not a closure driver.
Sources to draw on: Scripps modeling of beach-closure sources, EPA technical evaluation, San Diego Water Board status report.
The four sources
These figures are the same ones the map uses, and change with it. MGD means million gallons per day.
| Source | Dry season | Storm | What it carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Border canyonsGoat Canyon and Smuggler’s Gulch into the estuary | ~0.5 MGD (rough) | ~8 MGD (rough) | Raw sewage, Trash, Sediment |
| South Bay Ocean OutfallAbout 3.5 miles offshore | ~35 MGD | ~38 MGD | Treated wastewater |
| Punta Bandera shorelineMexico, about 5 miles south of the border | ~18 MGD | ~22 MGD | Raw sewage, Partly treated sewage, Industrial chemicals |
| Tijuana River mouthEstuary, south end of Imperial Beach | ~1 MGD | ~109 MGD | Raw sewage, Industrial chemicals, Trash, Sediment |
Sources
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography modeling of beach-closure sources [Link]
- EPA, Tijuana River watershed technical evaluation
- San Diego Water Board status report, June 2026