Tijuana River Public Health Crisis

For decades, the Tijuana River has carried untreated sewage, industrial runoff, and stormwater across the U.S.-Mexico border — contaminating San Diego’s coastline, closing beaches, and generating compounding public health consequences for communities on both sides.

This program examines how transboundary environmental crises expose gaps in binational governance, interagency coordination, and the policy frameworks that connect infrastructure investment to durable public health outcomes.

Drawing on San Diego’s position as a binational hub with direct relationships across research institutions, civil society, and subnational diplomatic channels, we develop practical strategies that strengthen cross-border governance, improve community-level response, and inform state and federal policy.

Program includes:

• Assessing public health impacts and surveillance gaps in affected coastal and border communities
• Improving interagency coordination across federal, state, local, and Mexican counterpart institutions
• Developing policy frameworks that connect infrastructure investment to long-term binational governance reform