SAN DIEGO — Sewage problems from the Tijuana River have been a long-standing issue. New odor sensors will be installed near the Tijuana River Valley to help monitor and track whether the air quality improves.
It'll be the first time San Diego County will get this type of odor sensing technology. There are six sensors that will be deployed around the South Bay.
"It's a long time coming. Odor complaints in the South Bay aren't a new thing," said David Sodeman, the chief of the monitoring division for the San Diego County Air Pollution District.
Resident concerns prompted the county air pollution control district to install the new sensors.
"This is the actual sensor housing itself and it has six different pods that measure different things. So hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide are the main focus for our odors," said Kevin Bradley, senior chemist for the San Diego County Air Pollution District.
Bradley says hydrogen sulfide is linked to sewage. They want to understand which days and times of year levels are higher and how weather factors impact it.
"Higher amount of that pollutant will produce a stronger electrical signal," he said.
They plan to install the six sensors around Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley in the next few months. The sensors are wireless and will transfer data to the county air pollution control district.
"Its something that matters to the community here so we wanna try to focus on that," he said.
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