San Diego County, California Moves Saturn Boulevard Pipe Extension Toward Construction: City Agreement and Contract Filed October 27
San Diego County, California: The County of San Diego on October 27 filed a Notice of Exemption (SCH No. 2026101047) on the state's CEQA database for the Saturn Boulevard Pipe Extension Project in the Tijuana River Valley, adopting a memorandum of agreement with the City of San Diego and moving to advertise and award a construction contract for the short-term fix at the valley's best-known air-pollution hotspot.
According to the filing, contaminated, turbulent flows at the Saturn Boulevard culvert crossing churn up foam and release malodorous gas, primarily hydrogen sulfide, into the air. The project will install two durable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe extensions on the existing culverts, discharging flows below the water surface downstream to reduce turbulence and aerosolization, with riprap placed for stability.
The county, serving as lead agency, says design is complete and a Coastal Development Permit has been secured from the California Coastal Commission; emergency permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will follow emergency protocols. The pipes are temporary and will be removed once a permanent solution is built.
On June 24, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $2.5 million in reserve funds for the pipe extension. The Tijuana River sewage crisis has closed beaches around Imperial Beach for years and drawn persistent odor and health complaints from valley residents.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：蒂华纳河河口湿地与海岸航拍。NOAA摄，公共领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Aerial view of the Tijuana River estuary coastline. NOAA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
