WILDCOAST was forced to postpone its annual surf contest and festival at Imperial Beach that also raises awareness around pollution due to pollution. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Every year that the cross-border coastal conservation group WILDCOAST runs its marquee surf contest and fundraising event in Imperial Beach, its annual Dempsey Holder Ocean Festival and Surf Contest, the question of water quality is in the back of organizers’ minds. And for good reason.
Imperial Beach and its surrounding coastal areas suffer from seriously poor water quality for much of the year (according to reports, area beaches were closed for half the year in 2015 and over 160 days in 2016 and 2017).
That’s due in part to partially treated effluent to the tune of 20 million gallons per day that flows into the Pacific Ocean just five miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. South swells push the stuff northward wreaking havoc on ocean water quality on both sides of the border. And during wet weather events, that situation is only made worse, putting stress on aging Mexican wastewater infrastructure leading to sewage spills like one that saw some 143 million gallons of sewage enter the Pacific in 2017.
Being the largest and longest-running surf contest in South San Diego County, the Dempsey Holder Festival aims to be a family-friendly event for residents and visitors alike to enjoy the beauty of Imperial Beach over a weekend the water is clean and safe. But, organizers were forced to postpone this year’s event last week when reports of odor emanating from the water and a forecast of rain high in the Tijuana River watershed created unsafe conditions.
“WILDCOAST holds the safety and well-being of its volunteers and event participants to the highest standard,” said WILDCOAST coastal and marine director, Paloma Aguirre, in a statement. “Unfortunately, the toxic effluent from the Tijuana River and the Punta Bandera sewage treatment plant continue to pose a major public health risk for beachgoers and ocean-users of south San Diego’s beaches.”
Since its founding in 2000, fighting for the conservation of the Tijuana River watershed and supporting the health of area beaches on both sides of the border has been a central tenet of WILDCOAST’s mission. The irony that one of the organization’s key events would be postponed as a result of the very pollution it’s been railing against for years is not lost on WILDCOAST’s conservation director, Zach Plopper.
“We question it every year. Should we do it, should we not do it? We don’t want (the event) to be postponed ever because it’s that much more work,” Plopper told me.
According to WILDCOAST this isn’t the first time the Dempsey has been postponed due to suspect water quality. But if there’s a silver lining to the extra effort required to delay an event one week it’s that it only goes to highlight the need for continued cooperation on both sides of the border to support transparent reporting and cleaner water quality – which is precisely what WILDCOAST is doing.
“For San Diego and Tijuana, the border is arbitrary in so many cases… We share this region. The ecosystem is completely shared,” said Plopper.
This year’s Dempsey will take place on October 12 and in addition to the surf contest will feature activations like a letter-writing campaign to continue to raise awareness around the water quality issues affecting South San Diego County and Northern Baja.
For more information on the event and how to attend head here.
