A broken sewer pipe line near Mexico's Rio Alamar released 2 million gallons into the Tijuana River on April 24.
The spill, which is thought to have lasted about 12 hours, may be exempt from any fines that would otherwise be enforced under the Clean Water Act. Despite the fact that sewage runoff is spilling into the waters of San Diego County, the incident initially took place in Mexico, where California officials do not have permission to get involved.
This isn't the first time the area has experienced sewer problems have affected the area this month. Before the April 24 spill, 2.5 million gallons of raw sewage was released into the Tijuana River after what officials are calling a software malfunction.
Although the International Boundary & Water Commission, which consists of both Mexican and the United States federal governments, has allocated millions of dollars toward waste management, there have been several similar cases in the past. A 2010 spill released more than 2 million gallons of sewage into the Tijuana River after a mechanical breakdown, suggesting that, along with infrastructure upgrades, communication along the border needs to be strengthened in order to keep the water safe and conserve water.
