Tijuana River Valley, San Diego

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The Tijuana River Valley is a rural community in the southern section of San Diego, California. It neighbors Imperial Beach to the north and west, Egger Highlands and Nestor to the north, San Ysidro to the east, and the U.S.-Mexico border to the south. Major thoroughfares include Hollister Street, Monument Road, and Dairy Mart Road.

Contents

History

The valley was home to the Kumeyaay peoples, who established the village of Melijo near Smuggler's Gulch. [1]

The area became part of Rancho Melijo as part of a Mexican land grant to Santiago E. Argüello.

The Tijuana River Valley, along with other portions of South San Diego, was annexed from San Diego County in 1957.

Facilities and landmarks

The community contains 71.5 miles of dirt roads and paths. [2] A number of horse stables are located in the valley. The valley is home to the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, and is near Border Field State Park and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, both located in Imperial Beach.

Flooding

The Tijuana River Valley community is at risk of flooding from the Tijuana River. [3] The Tijuana River is considerably polluted with trash, sewage, and other pollutants that threaten the valley community, and the community's environmental resources whenever it floods. [4] Flooding is contained for the most part during dry periods. Yet when it rains the risk of floods and the associated pollution are a significant problem for the Tijuana River Valley. [5] In addition to damage to the Valley's environmental and recreational resources, the pollution present in the floodwaters can spread diseases. [4] Area beaches had almost 1,600 closed days because of this pollution between 2007 and 2017, far more than beaches North of the Valley. [6]

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Tijuana River Estuary

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The International Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) is a plant developed by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) in the South Bay area of San Diego, California. Construction began on a 75-acre site, west of San Ysidro in the Tijuana River Valley. The project, authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1989 and formally agreed between the two countries in July 1990, was part of a regional approach to solve long-standing problems, particularly the flow of sewage-contaminated water into the ocean via the Tijuana River.

Rancho Melijo, or Milijo, named after a local Kumeyaay village. It was later called Rancho La Punta for the location of the Arguello family ranch house, on a point of hills overlooking the south end of San Diego Bay, north of the Otay River and east of where the river entered the south bend of the bay. It was a Mexican land grant rancho, granted by Governor José Figueroa in 1833 to Santiago E. Argüello.

Goat Canyon (Tijuana River Valley) Canyon in the Mexican state of Baja California and the US state of California

Goat Canyon also known as Cañón de los Laureles, begins in Tijuana, Mexico, and ends in the United States just north of the Mexico–U.S. border. The canyon is formed by Goat Canyon Creek, which receives water and other runoff from areas south of the border. Most of the canyon and its watershed lies within Baja California.

Smugglers Gulch Canyon located in the U.S. state of California and the Mexican state of Baja California

The Smuggler's Gulch is part of a steep walled canyon about 2 miles (3.2 km) inland of the Pacific Ocean. The canyon crosses the Mexico–United States border, between Tijuana, Baja California, and San Diego, California, and Smuggler's Gulch is the part of the canyon on the US side of the border. It may also be called Cañón del Matadero or Valle Montezuma in Spanish, but these names apply more generally to the whole canyon. Smuggling activities within Smuggler's Gulch have occurred since the 19th century, giving this part of the canyon its name.

References

  1. Schoenherr, Steven. "The Tijuana River Valley Historic Sites". South Bay Historical Society Bulletin. 9.
  2. "Tijuana River Valley | Councilmember Vivian Moreno (District 8) | City of San Diego Official Website".
  3. Alvarez, Elizabeth. "Flooding concerns for community in Tijuana River Valley" . Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  4. 1 2 Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team (January 2012). "Recovery Strategy; Living with the Water" (PDF). Waterboards.ca.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  5. Smith, Sandra Dibble, Joshua Emerson. "Two countries, one sewage problem: Tijuana and San Diego grapple with renegade flows". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  6. Smith, Joshua Emerson. "Tijuana pollution contaminates South Bay beaches at astounding rate". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2017-11-29.

Coordinates: 32°33′5″N117°5′24″W / 32.55139°N 117.09000°W / 32.55139; -117.09000