They\u2019re up s\u2013t creek without a plunger.<\/p>\n
Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water: A picturesque California beach is at risk of being shuttered amid a deluge of sewage from Mexico that\u2019s befouled the coastline.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was heaven on Earth, and now I call it paradise lost,\u201d Whitney David, 63, a retired surgeon and surfer, told the WSJ of the odiferous scourge.<\/p>\n
Posted signs at Coronado Beach warn the public of the pollution. The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Located off the coast of San Diego Bay, the upscale resort city of Coronado has long been a mecca for bathers.<\/p>\n
However, recently the region has been polluted by gallons of wastewater \u2014 as many as 38 million per day \u2014 from our neighbor to the South, which has increasingly rendered this idyllic seaside hub off-limits.<\/p>\n
New Jersey resident Kristin Cohen, 36,\u00a0claimed she attempted to take her 3-year-old daughter Chloe, only to be stopped in her tracks by a sign that read \u201cWater Contact May Cause Illness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess we can\u2019t do that, babe,\u201d she lamented.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just sunbathers who are affected by the \u201cpoonami.\u201d Larry Delrose, entertainment director at the Coronado Shores condo community, claims that he\u2019s forced to close his windows several times a week to keep out the \u201csewer\u201d-like aromas. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was heaven on Earth and now I call it paradise lost,\u201d Whitney David, 63, a retired surgeon and surfer told the WSJ off the odiferous scourge. Gado via Getty Images<\/p>\n
In 2025, the beaches in front of the historic Hotel del Coronado, whose rooms can cost up to a grand per minute, were shuttered for 129 days due to the fecal flood. Many of these were during the peak of summer, like a malodorous version of the movie \u201cJaws.\u201d<\/p>\n
The source of this excremental tidal wave is the Tijuana River, which fill with wastewater that then empties into the Pacific Ocean. <\/p>\n
Many claim that the sewage infrastructure in Tijuana (pictured) has not been able to keep pace with the population boom. Manuel Castro \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
This crap cocktail ends up tainting the waters off of San Diego. <\/p>\n
While Tijuana\u2019s sewage has affected the US for years, poo-llution has surged amid a population boom in the border town, whose numbers have more than doubled over the past 30 years to 2.3 million, putting a strain on its wastewater resources.<\/p>\n
This problem is not only smelly \u2014 it can be dangerous due to the hydrogen sulfide gas, which has soared to unsafe levels in the South Bay. According to a recent survey of residents and workers in the region<\/a>, symptoms of exposure included respiratory issues, headaches, stomach illness, and even cognitive issues such as difficulty concentrating.<\/p>\n San Diego County Board of Supervisors<\/a> Paloma Aguirre noted these issues in a recent PSA, in which she called on Governor Gavin Newsom to do something about the contamination, dubbing it the \u201cworst environmental disaster in the United States<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n