A major sewage spill occurred sending 2 million gallons of raw sewage into the Tijuana River.  A programmable logic controller failed shutting down pumps and controls.  This resulted in a sewage back up in the facility which ultimately made its way to the Tijuana River.  According to the spokeswoman for the boundary commission, Sally Spener, “if the software fails, you can handle if manually if the operator is responding appropriately”.  The operator is thought to be responsible for letting the problem get out of hand.  Mark McPherson, water quality chief for the county, said the system failure had a minimum effect on the heavily polluted river.  However, a Sea Grant biologist has reported finding antibiotic resistant bacteria in the sediment of three urban estuaries —the Ballona Creek Estuary in Los Angeles County, Famosa Slough in San Diego and Tijuana River Estuary in Imperial Beach.  Recent upgrades totalling $92 million has not reduced pollution below legal limits.

A major sewage spill sent 2 million gallons of raw sewage into the Tijuana River in San Ysidro, California.  A programmable logic controller failed shutting down pumps and controls.  This resulted in a sewage back up in the facility which ultimately made its way to the Tijuana River. A Sea Grant biologist has reported finding antibiotic resistant bacteria in the sediment of three urban estuaries including Tijuana River Estuary in Imperial Beach.