“Border Patrol agents contended with sewage from Tijuana during recent rainfall,” CBP tweeted on Monday.
“The sewage tests positive for lead, cyanide, arsenic and other dangerous substances,” the agency reported, saying the toxins flow into the Pacific Ocean, forcing the closure of beaches in the US.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports more than 110 million gallons of “toxic stormwater” has affected the U.S. just since April.
A beach closure that has been in place for months for the southern part of the Imperial Beach was extended Sunday to include the city’s entire shoreline.
The San Diego County Department of Environment Health issued the order to close the coastline to swimmers as a result of sewage-contaminated runoff in the Tijuana River.
Signs warning residents of the contamination will be in place until testing indicates the water is safe for recreational use.
More than 110 million gallons of toxic storm water has flowed over the border from Mexico since April, and the southern part of the coast along the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge has been off limits since November. – READ MORE