SAN DIEGO — The fight over South Bay sewage continues, and now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stepping in. CBS 8 joined volunteers in South San Diego Thursday as they distributed information about an upcoming study by the federal agency.
“It’s so bad out here. It really has been, and it’s really sad for our community,” said Veronica Lopez, who lives in Nestor.
From beach closures to air quality, sewage and wastewater from the Tijuana River Valley continue impacting lives in the South Bay.
“I feel that we’re really overlooked, like they’re really not taking this seriously," said Lopez. "It’s been decades and it saddens me.”
The CDC is looking to document how the sewage crisis is impacting people’s health.
“We’ve been living here since 2020, and since then, I can tell that I have respiratory issues. My son does as well and it’s just horrible, horrible," said Lopez. "We feel sick."
Dozens of volunteers and county public health staff distributed door hangers to homes in affected areas Thursday to provide information on the upcoming survey.
“How has the sewage crisis affected their health? How has it affected their mental health? How has it affected their jobs, their work, their lifestyles, their children going to school?” asked Dr. Ankita Kadakia, Interim Public Health Officer for the County of San Diego, as she explained the types of questions that will be asked.
Dr. Kadakia told CBS 8 that attention from a federal agency like the CDC can lead to more resources to fix the problem.
“Since we know the sewage infrastructure is a federal issue and we need federal dollars, we have a federal agency coming down," explained Dr. Kadakia. "So it’s so important for residents to have a face-to-face with the CDC to be able to provide their input on what’s been happening to them.”
Lopez and others CBS 8 spoke to said they're tired of the pollution and sewage contamination going unaddressed for so long.
“I think it’s something that’s been long overdue, and it’s about time they take some action,” said Lopez. “It’s just terrible and I do believe that it does affect our health.”
The CDC’s survey will take place from October 17-19 with 210 randomly selected households near the Tijuana River Valley, and the results are expected to be released by the end of the year.
Dr. Kadakia told CBS 8 the data will help the county advocate for federal dollars to fix the broken sewage infrastructure.