In December 2008, over 3 billion gallons of toxic sewage spilled into the Pacific Ocean over a 24-hour period and traveled as far north as Coronado, a city over eight miles north of the Tijuana river mouth. In March 2017, over 143 million gallons of transboundary flow entered the Pacific Ocean from the Tijuana River in Imperial Beach; it took seventeen days to cap. 

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As a former resident of Imperial Beach, this was a problem I was all too familiar with. As an adult and as a researcher, I found myself looking back on my childhood and questioning why I felt that polluted water was normal. This led me to wonder how the young people residing in Imperial Beach now are impacted by water pollution. While this issue has an impact on many stakeholders, my research focuses on those who’s voices are not often heard: young people. Specifically, I will work with youth through the Poseidon Academy, a place-based environmental education program at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach. 

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Approaching this study from an environmental geographer's perspective is to understand all aspects of the situation as such, including where the polluted water comes from, how it arrives in Imperial Beach, what exactly is in it, why it is polluted in the first place, as well as how it impacts residents once it does arrive here in the U.S.

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My thesis research has since concluded and the final publication will be available online soon.

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