Efforts are underway to combat the persistent sewage odor plaguing South Bay communities. The city of San Diego placed large rocks in the Tijuana River Valley. They’re supposed to help prevent the water from splashing and mitigate the smell of sewage. “When I go outside I can smell it yeah in the backyard we can smell it,” said Nancy who lives in Imperial Beach. Millions of gallons of sewage-contaminated water flows from the Tijuana river toward Imperial Beach each day. Residents say the nauseating odor is only getting worse. “Even if you try closing the windows or the doors the smell still gets into the house so that’s just an example of how bad it was,” said George Campillo, an Imperial Beach resident. A new project is meant to help cutdown on the strong smell. The city of San Diego placed boulders along the river at Saturn Boulevard, a place known as a hot spot area for the foul smells.