On Wednesday the board approved to direct $8.75 million from the county’s reserves to address the Tijuana River sewage crisis. The money will be earmarked for modification of concrete pipes in the Tijuana River Valley ($2.5 million), additional health studies ($2.25 million) and the distribution of air filters to South Bay households ($4 million).
This decision comes weeks after a crucial pipeline in Tijuana collapsed and spewed 11.5 million gallons of raw sewage daily into the Tijuana River.
“(This proposal) advances some funding for an immediate infrastructure fix to deal with some of the most acute public health impacts at Saturn Boulevard,” said Chair Terra Lawson-Remer on Jan. 28 before the board unanimously approved the temporary fix. “I think it does it in a really smart way saying ‘Look the county will put a little money in here but only if we’re able to leverage funding from external partners because this really is a regional challenge and we cannot solve it alone.’”…