Tijuana River
Encyclopedia
The Tijuana River is an intermittent river, 120 mi (195 km) long, on the Pacific
coast of northern Baja California
in Mexico
and southern California
in the United States
.
on the southern edge of San Diego. Its lower reaches provide the last undeveloped coast wetland
s in San Diego County
amidst a highly urbanized environment at the southern city limits of Imperial Beach
. The river has been the subject of great controversy in recent decades regarding pollution
, flood control
, and U.S. border protection.
of northern Baja California, approximately 45 mi (70 km) ENE of Ensenada
. It flows WNW through Tijuana
, crossing the border approximately 5 mi (8 km) from the Pacific. It flows west, just skirting the international border south of the San Ysidro section of San Diego. It enters the Pacific 10 mi (15 km) south of downtown San Diego at the southern city limits of Imperial Beach
. The lower 2 mi (3 km) of the river form a broad mud flat estuary that is prone to flooding in years of heavy rains. It is impounded in Mexico southeast of Tijuana by the Abelardo L. Rodríguez Dam for drinking water
and irrigation
. Former Baja California Governor Milton Castellanos Everardo
constructed concrete barriers along the riverbank to prevent flooding during his tenure.
The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
, established as part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve
system in the United States and managed in part as a Biological Field Station by San Diego State University (SDSU)'s
College of Sciences
, protects part of the estuary of the river near the ocean in the United States.
The river has been used as a wastewater conduit for much of the last several decades. Partial progress was made in the 1980s with a Clean Water Grant
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve wastewater treatment to protect estuary waters, by creating the San Diego-Tijuana Wastewater Treatment Plant. Despite cross-border efforts to clean it up, raw sewage overflows in the surrounding canyons on the Mexico side of the border are a recurring problem along the river. According to a 1993 report http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0694/et0694s1.html by the city of San Diego, the city of Tijuana had collected an average of 13 million gallons (50 million liters) per day of raw sewage
that had crossed the Mexican border from Tijuana into California
.
The mouth of the Tijuana River is the location of the legendary Tijuana Sloughs big-wave surfing break. Alan "Dempsey" Holder, a pioneering California big-wave surfer surfed waves over a mile from shore at the mouth of the Tijuana River starting in the 1930s. Through the 1950s he surfed the break with legends such as Peter Cole, Kimble Daun and Ron "Canoe" Drummond. A small underground group of big-wave surfers continue to surf the sloughs on 9-10' surfboards, but pollution and flooding has adversely impacted the waves. And big-wave surfing in the region has shifted to areas like Todos Santos Island
and the Cortez Bank.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast of northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Location
It drains an arid area along the U.S.–Mexico border, flowing through Mexico for most its course then crossing the border for its lower 5 mi (8 km) to empty into the ocean in an estuaryEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
on the southern edge of San Diego. Its lower reaches provide the last undeveloped coast wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s in San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
amidst a highly urbanized environment at the southern city limits of Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach, California
Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the most southern beach city in Southern California and the West Coast of the United States...
. The river has been the subject of great controversy in recent decades regarding pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, flood control
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
, and U.S. border protection.
Description
It rises in the Sierra de JuárezSierra de Juárez
Sierra de Juárez is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula, of Baja California, Mexico. It is part of the Peninsular Ranges. The Laguna Mountains of California lie to the north and the Sierra San Pedro Mártir lies to the south....
of northern Baja California, approximately 45 mi (70 km) ENE of Ensenada
Ensenada, Baja California
Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...
. It flows WNW through Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, crossing the border approximately 5 mi (8 km) from the Pacific. It flows west, just skirting the international border south of the San Ysidro section of San Diego. It enters the Pacific 10 mi (15 km) south of downtown San Diego at the southern city limits of Imperial Beach
Imperial Beach, California
Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the most southern beach city in Southern California and the West Coast of the United States...
. The lower 2 mi (3 km) of the river form a broad mud flat estuary that is prone to flooding in years of heavy rains. It is impounded in Mexico southeast of Tijuana by the Abelardo L. Rodríguez Dam for drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
and irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
. Former Baja California Governor Milton Castellanos Everardo
Milton Castellanos Everardo
Milton Castellanos Everardo was a Mexican politician and lawyer. He served as the Governor of Baja California from 1971 to 1977. He also served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies Directive Board for a brief period in 1951.-Early life:Castellanos was born in Copainalá, Chiapas, on March...
constructed concrete barriers along the riverbank to prevent flooding during his tenure.
The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve is a natural reserve encompassing the Tijuana River Estuary, located on the Mexico – United States border, in Imperial Beach, California.-Access and features:...
, established as part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve
National Estuarine Research Reserve
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a program of the United States government. The program establishes federal-state partnerships under the Coastal Zone Management Act to create a system of estuarine research reserves representative of the various regions and estuarine types in the...
system in the United States and managed in part as a Biological Field Station by San Diego State University (SDSU)'s
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
College of Sciences
San Diego State University College of Sciences
The San Diego State University College of Sciences is the San Diego region's largest center for science education and research. Comprising eight departments and various specialties, the College offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, as well as curricula for pre-professional students in...
, protects part of the estuary of the river near the ocean in the United States.
The river has been used as a wastewater conduit for much of the last several decades. Partial progress was made in the 1980s with a Clean Water Grant
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve wastewater treatment to protect estuary waters, by creating the San Diego-Tijuana Wastewater Treatment Plant. Despite cross-border efforts to clean it up, raw sewage overflows in the surrounding canyons on the Mexico side of the border are a recurring problem along the river. According to a 1993 report http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0694/et0694s1.html by the city of San Diego, the city of Tijuana had collected an average of 13 million gallons (50 million liters) per day of raw sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
that had crossed the Mexican border from Tijuana into California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The mouth of the Tijuana River is the location of the legendary Tijuana Sloughs big-wave surfing break. Alan "Dempsey" Holder, a pioneering California big-wave surfer surfed waves over a mile from shore at the mouth of the Tijuana River starting in the 1930s. Through the 1950s he surfed the break with legends such as Peter Cole, Kimble Daun and Ron "Canoe" Drummond. A small underground group of big-wave surfers continue to surf the sloughs on 9-10' surfboards, but pollution and flooding has adversely impacted the waves. And big-wave surfing in the region has shifted to areas like Todos Santos Island
Isla Todos Santos
Isla Todos Santos is a pair of islands about 19.3km off Ensenada, Baja California at best known for surfing. Access is only by boat, which can be rented out from Ensenada, or La Bufadora. The waves off the smallest island are some of the biggest waves in the North American continent, rivaled in...
and the Cortez Bank.