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A Playas de Tijuana resident found a dead bird resembling a pelican on the beach the morning of Friday, April 10, 2026, the latest in a string of dead marine animals she says have washed ashore in recent weeks. Isabel García told Semanario ZETA that sewage and freshwater runoff is also seeping onto the coastal zone at multiple points near the malecón.
García, who is also a member of the citizen group Colectivo Defendamos Playas, said the pollution and animal deaths point to a worsening environmental situation along the Tijuana shoreline. She described mud and drainage flows that appear during and after rains, mixed with what she identified as sewage runoff reaching the sand.
Water Utility Director Says She Was Unaware
When ZETA asked about the reported sewage runoff near the Playas de Tijuana malecón, Mónica Vega Aguirre, director of Tijuana’s Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana (CESPT), said she was not aware of the problem. “I would have to look into it,” Vega Aguirre told the outlet, referring to runoff complaints that residents say have persisted for months.
García also criticized the ongoing demolition and reconstruction of the Playas de Tijuana malecón, a project begun under the previous municipal administration. “Tijuana doesn’t deserve this. The old malecón was damaged, the wood was rotting, but it should have been repaired, not destroyed,” she told ZETA. She added that the former mayor knew the project would not be completed during her term, leaving exposed earth that turns to mud and channels drainage toward the beach when it rains.
A Chronic Problem on Both Sides of the Border
Sewage contamination along the Tijuana coast is not new. The Tijuana River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean near the U.S. border, has been heavily polluted with raw sewage for decades. Billions of gallons of untreated wastewater flow through the river system each year, according to environmental groups. The contamination regularly triggers beach closures on both sides of the border, from Playas de Tijuana north to Imperial Beach and Coronado in San Diego County.
Tijuana’s sewage infrastructure has never kept pace with the city’s rapid population growth. The CESPT captures roughly 90% of the city’s sewage, above Mexico’s national average, but aging pipes, illegal connections, and storm overflow continue to send untreated waste into waterways and onto beaches.
No official beach closure or health advisory has been issued for Playas de Tijuana in connection with the latest reports. Swimmers, surfers, and beachgoers should exercise caution and avoid entering the water near any visible runoff. This story was first reported by Semanario ZETA.