CORONADO, Calif. (KERO) — People gathered for a 'Stop the Sewage' rally at Central Beach in Coronado on Fri, Sept 1.
Both the Coronado Beach and Imperial Beach shorelines are closed for the Labor Day holiday weekend due to polluted waters. It is the third holiday weekend that sewage contamination has kept people out of the water.
Protesters chanted and held signs that read "Clean water is a human right" and "Stop the dump" at a protest held on Central Beach.
For decades, cross-border sewage contamination from the Tijuana River has plagued the South Bay. Recently, 20,000 gallons of sewage was spilled onto streets in the South Bay after pumps at the wastewater treatment plant failed. The mayor called it a public health crisis.
One protester, Stephanie Kaupp, showed up in a hazmat suit with feces stains printed on it to make her frustration loud and clear on how much of a hazard the contamination is to our coast.
"This is the crap, excuse the expression, that people deal with when they go in the water," said Kaupp. "It's impacting our health, our economy, our Navy Seals, people who worked around here, and we're sick of it."
Protesters are demanding California Governor Gavin Newsom declare a State of Emergency for the area.
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