In 1978, after a decades-long mysterious illness spread to 1,000 homes in the community of Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York, officials concluded that a tons of toxic waste-laden sludge had leaked from a nearby landfill. Dr. David Axelrod, leader of the state investigation into the cause of this health crisis, was horrified by all the warning signs that officials had ignored for years. He later called it “emblematic of a nation's failure to care for future generations.”
It's time to view the South Bay's sewage crisis as Love Canal West. It is incomprehensible that state and federal officials have not declared this nightmare a health emergency and taken immediate and comprehensive action. Future generations will be shocked to look back on all the warning signs that were evident in real time, including the surfers, swimmers, Navy SEALs and Border Patrol agents who became ill after being exposed to more than 100 billion gallons of sewage and toxic wastewater that spilled into the Pacific Ocean when Tijuana's failing sewage infrastructure spilled.
It's essential to keep this big picture in mind when reacting to the sooner or later steps being taken by officials. The latest was this week when San Diego County formally asked state and federal public health officials to investigate the impact of this cross-border contamination. In a letter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nora Vargas, chair of the county board of supervisors, outlined her expectations: “Specifically, we urge CDC to investigate the prevalence of contaminants in the air, water and soil in these areas and the connection to the increased gastrointestinal issues and other symptoms the communities are reporting.”
In theory, based on the guidelines on the CDC website, this should lead to an immediate response within one to three weeks. In reality, no one knows what will happen. The fact that San Diego residents have been getting sick for years — that some local coastlines have been completely closed for 900 consecutive days — doesn’t seem to matter to Governor Gavin Newsom or President Joe Biden. Their slow response ensures that this crisis will continue for years to come. Nor does the fact that this follows an ugly historical pattern of officials tolerating far more pollution in less affluent, less white communities. Would anyone think that if this crisis had been centered in La Jolla, our leaders would have shrugged?
We wish we had a Dr. Axelrod at the CDC or California Department of Public Health who stood up and demanded accountability from his bosses. I can't emphasize enough that fixing a broken wastewater treatment plant doesn't require technological advances. It takes money, focus and competence. Shame on you, Newsom and Biden.
