State Water Board funds extension of successful Tijuana River trash booms project
Booms have already kept 2,000 tons of trash out of the river
SACRAMENTO – Encouraged by the early success of the Tijuana River Trash Booms Project, a two-year pilot program that collects and removes large amounts of trash and debris from the river, the State Water Resources Control Board today allocated an additional $2 million for its continued operation and maintenance.
The project was launched in 2024 with a $4.7 million general fund grant from the State Water Board and the $2 million in additional funding will come from the board’s Cleanup and Abatement Account. Without the additional funding approved today, the project would be forced to cease operations, resulting in renewed discharges of trash, plastic and debris into the river.
Overseen by the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, the plastic booms are linked together to form a floating, horseshoe-shaped fence that traps items such as tires, washing machines, shoes, plastic bottles and mattresses before they flow from Mexico and into San Diego and the Pacific Ocean. During the last two storm seasons, the booms collected 2,000 tons of debris, a significant reduction of trash to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the ocean.
"In just two storm seasons, these booms have kept thousands of tons of trash out of the Tijuana River and off our beaches — a real testament to the dedicated team operating this project on the ground," said E. Joaquin Esquivel, board chair. "Continuing that funding was an easy call. The larger crisis in this watershed will take years of sustained investment and cross-border commitment, but this project shows what's possible when a capable partner like Rural Community Assistance Corporation delivers results. We're proud to keep it going and we’ll be watching its progress closely."
The floating Tijuana trash booms have prevented thousands of tons of debris from reaching the estuary. Credit: Rural Community Assistance Corporation
While the project has been a success, water quality in the Tijuana River Estuary remains among the most pressing federal environmental crises. The estuary has been impaired for decades by polluted transboundary flows attributed to Tijuana’s crumbling infrastructure, population boom and inadequate funding to maintain and replace wastewater treatment plants routinely overwhelmed during storms.
The river drains a 1,750-square-mile binational watershed and flows into San Diego, regularly forcing the closure of beaches as far north as Coronado due to elevated bacteria levels. San Diego County residents have complained about bad odors and health impacts including asthma, headaches and gastrointestinal problems.
Separate from the funding approved today, the board in June began accepting grant applications for $46 million in Proposition 4 allocations for projects designed to combat transboundary pollution in the Tijuana River and New River in Calexico. The application period closes Aug. 31.
The State Water Board’s mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper resource allocation and efficient use for present and future generations.
