California, federal and international representatives recently gathered near the southern border to celebrate a state-funded pilot project to help clean up the Tijuana River.
The State Water Resources Control Board financed the $4.7 million project, which features floating trash booms made partially from recycled material. The project is overseen by the nonprofit Rural Community Assistance Corporation. Once completed, it will intercept tires, washing machines and other debris that flow from Mexico into the Tijuana River and are clogging the channel and contributing to chronic water quality problems.
The pilot, which will run for the next two consecutive storm seasons, began with the deployment of the plastic-and-steel encased booms on Nov. 14. The recent ribbon-cutting event initiates the next phase: the capture and removal of objects that block the untreated wastewater from entering the treatment plant.
Lagoon Project Workers File Lawsuit Over Alleged Asbestos Cover-Up
Two workers on an environmental restoration project at Long Beach, California's Colorado Lagoon have filed lawsuits claiming they were wrongfully terminated for reporting asbestos contamination.
They allege that their employer ignored safety protocols by re-burying or stockpiling hazardous asbestos-laden debris, risking public health. While the city denies mishandling asbestos, regulators are investigating, and construction resumed under stricter safeguards.
Collaborative Study to Investigate Spread of Diseases Through Wastewater
A $3 million EPA-funded study led by Professor Amy Pruden and the Water Research Foundation will investigate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from wastewater treatment plants into the environment.
Researchers will analyze global data and conduct U.S. field studies, using DNA sequencing to track resistance genes and assess their public health impact. Read more about it here.
