Thousands of people in California are being sickened due to exposure to raw sewage that foams up in the Tijuana River before the river empties into the Pacific Ocean, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Steve Egger, a 72-year-old resident of Southern California, told The AP the exposure is “awful,” noting the foam emits toxic fumes that cloud the air. “Most nights we breathe in a horrible stench,” Egger said. Egger and his wife’s home has a hospital-grade filtration system that cycles air every 15 minutes. Despite this measure, the couple frequently experiences headaches, waking up congested, and coughing up phlegm, according to Egger.
While doctors have recommended that he move, Egger says Southern California is his “home.”
“This is where I’ve lived all my life, with my family, my parents, my grandparents,” he said. “This is home.”
The Tijuana River has carried 10 billion gallons of raw sewage and industrial waste across the U.S. border from Mexico since January 2026, according to International Water and Boundary Commission (IWBC) data cited by The AP. More than 100 billion gallons of raw sewage, industrial chemicals, and trash have poured into the Tijuana River since 2018, the IWBC said.
The IWBC operates the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was designed to manage sewage from Tijuana, according to the San Diego Coastkeeper. The plant was jointly built by the U.S. and Mexico in the early 1990s, and its structures were designed to capture and treat the untreated water flow coming into the U.S. from Mexico. The IWBC was required to treat the water, according to terms outlined in the Clean Water Act permit issued by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Coastkeeper notes.
The raw sewage crisis has been exacerbated by multiple factors, including extreme weather conditions and a lack of adequate maintenance. In addition, the San Antonio de los Buenos treatment plant, which was operated by the Mexican government and is supposed to discharge treated water into the Pacific Ocean south of the border, has also not been properly maintained. (RELATED: Authorities Review Death Of 11th Scientist)
Exposure to raw sewage causes significant health risks such as gastrointestinal infections and respiratory illnesses, according to the San Diego Coastkeeper. A February 2024 study from San Diego State University found children, pregnant women, and seniors are particularly vulnerable populations affected by the toxic sewage.
Dr. Kimberly Dickson, who runs a California clinic with her husband, Matthew, who is also a physician, said patients with asthma need to use their inhalers more when the air is affected by the toxic sewage.
“They’d say, ‘You know, I feel better when it doesn’t smell outside,’” Dickson told The AP.
“Every day that this isn’t fixed, more people are getting sick,” her husband, Matthew, said.
A bill sponsored by Democratic California State Sen. Steve Padilla would require California standards to reflect the health risks of the hydrogen sulfide gas that’s emitted by raw sewage, according to The AP. Even if the bill passed, the new standard would not likely be adopted until 2030, however.