IMPERIAL BEACH (NEWS 8) - Dozens of Imperial Beach residents on Thursday attended a public meeting to demand a long-term fix to the recent sewage spills from Mexico that have been fouling the coastline.
Those who attended Thursday's meeting wore "Stop the Poop" shirts, wore masks and held signs to show they are fed up with Tijuana sewage spills.
"It would be like me having a dog and allowing it to continuously defecate on my neighbors yard and my neighbor being okay with it," said Ginger Sacco, Tijuana River Valley resident.
The U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) released its investigative findings from the February sewage spill and it recommended short-term solutions like fixing pipes, pumps, monitoring, communication and notifications.
"Mexico has been officially notified that they need to correct this problem and cease the discharges," said Steve Smullen, USIBWS Area operations manager.
For some - that is not enough.
"The border patrol is on the frontline of this and they are getting sick and they are really concerned about their constant exposure," said Serge Dedina, Imperial Beach mayor.
To fix the problem, according the EPA, it would take $400 million to fix, but there is only $10 million available for all the U.S. - Mexico border.
The environmental group the Surfrider Foundation is on the Minute 320 Water Quality Board. It is recommending weekly testing before the weekend - before families hit the beaches.
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