A massive sewage spill from Mexico's Tijuana River that polluted miles of coastland in Southern California and northern Mexico has prompted an investigation, with US officials calling it deliberate and Mexican authorities saying it was an accident caused by heavy rain. The pollution closed beaches and kept surfers and swimmers out of the ocean, drawing outrage from residents of the cross-border region. US officials, including Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, believe the spill was deliberate to cut corners during repair work on a sewer pipeline in Mexico but not politically motivated. "The big picture is we need to work to support Mexico's effort to improve the sewage infrastructure system in Tijuana so this doesn't happen again." The sewage spill polluted 32 km of coastland from the areas of Rosarito in Mexico to Coronado in California, Dedina said.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 04, 2017 07:18 UTC