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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

The independent student news site of San Diego Mesa College.

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The Mesa Press

The Mesa Press

Drowning in waste water

At some point San Diego will have to get more serious about the water polution that goes into the ocean. Between Tijuana’s failing infrastructure and boat activity, and San Diego’s drainage runoff and sewage overflows, it’s a recipe for disaster.

No, it doesnt happen every day, but far too often San Diegans and visitors to this fair city’s beaches get that horrifying anouncement over the lifeguards loud speaker: “We’re sorry to inform you but thousands of gallons of sewage have just overflowed into the San Diego River. You must evacuate immediately.”

I know because I’ve been there. You’re just enjoying your day in the water surfing and playing in the waves when, bam, now there is a posibility you might have Hepititus.

This problem is not new to San Diego, that’s for sure. The reason for these conservation inadequacies is not so much a lack of knowledge of the problem a denial of the problem.

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San Diego has many watchdog organizations working to improve the wastewater situation. Organizations such as Coast Keepers and the Natural Resource Defense Council fight for the beaches every day.

In 2001 Coast Keepers filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego, after a huge sewage spill. The lawsuit was on the grounds of destruction of marine habitat and damage to the economy. After winning, the city was forced to change policies, cutting sewage spills by 58 percent within the next four years.

With those fighting for our oceans though, there are also those standing in the way. The San Diego Building Society is one of these groups. They see protecting our water as just too expensive. The building society claims that passing new regulations on wastewater will cost San Diego $250 million over the next five years and increase building costs by $20,000.

I say forget the cost of housing, nobody will want to live here anyway if they cant go in the water without getting sick.

With the exception of those few, San Diego has become almost numb to the problems that haunt our coastline. San Diegans think nothing of beach closures or the fact that there is never a good time to go to Imperial Beach. We chalk it all up as just one of the sacrifices we pay for metropolitan amenities on the beach.

Last Sunday, after 55 thousand gallons of sewage spilled into the San Diego River, closing a good part of the beaches in Ocean Beach. I asked a San Diego lifeguard, “How many people do you think will surf tomorrow morning?” He responded “Me personally I wouldn’t touch the stuff, but most will figure, what the heck, I haven’t got sick yet.”

There are solutions though. Why not a clean water tax? Why not monitor Navy pollution more efficiently? Why not put into action plans to help change Tijuana’s infrastructure problems? If not for their sake then simply for ours. Why not make a change?

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