For decades, San Diegans have been trying to hold the federal government responsible for sewage spilling into the United States from Tijuana via the International Boundary and Water Commission or IBWC, the binational federal agency that cleans some of the sewage as it crosses the border. … And every step of the way the federal government has said: It’s not our fault. The most recent example was this week when the IBWC rejected the notion it could be held accountable for smells emanating from the Tijuana River, which gets contaminated by raw sewage and trash as it snakes its way through its namesake metropolis in Mexico. The San Diego Air Pollution Control District declared the IBWC’s equipment was to blame for over 150 odor complaints in nearby communities. The IBWC said, you’ve got the wrong guy.  In the meantime, 54 million gallons of polluted water flowed down the river channel and into the United States at a time of year when the riverbed should be naturally dry.

Related article:

• San Diego Union-Tribune: Federal agency hit with notice of violation due to foul odors following sewage spill