The Tijuana River Problem Starts With What We Flush

The county is considering an $80 million annual sales tax to address the Tijuana River sewage crisis. That's real money for real infrastructure. But the proposal is light on specifics about how the money will be spent and what changes homeowners and contractors should expect in return.

Here's what matters: sewage infrastructure is only part of the problem. The other part is what gets into the pipes in the first place. Hazardous materials, construction debris, grease, and incorrectly disposed waste all find their way downstream. When the system breaks—and it does—those materials reach the river, the border, and the ocean.

For contractors and remodelers in San Diego, East County, Chula Vista, and Lemon Grove, the practical takeaway is this: do not treat the sewer as a catch-all. Separate hazardous waste. Dispose of construction materials at licensed facilities. Know where your load goes. Ask questions.

California has already tightened plastic and packaging rules, which means fewer items that should never enter the waste stream will do so. That's a floor, not a ceiling. San Diego can set a higher standard by building a culture where disposal is understood as part of the job, not a cost to cut.

A better sewage system starts upstream. That means homeowners who keep grease out of drains, contractors who haul hazardous material to the right place, and a community that understands the Tijuana River is not a dumping ground—it's where everyone downstream lives.