Every year, when winter swells bring San Diego’s best waves to their fullest potential, local surfers flood the lineups of popular spots like Black’s and Swami’s. But some of the heaviest and most dangerous surf lies further south, off the coast of Imperial Beach. The area’s crown jewel, Tijuana Sloughs, sometimes serves up 20-plus-foot waves that break up to a half-mile from shore. Even as the surfing population has exploded, however, IB remains empty in comparison to the rest of San Diego, thanks to the pollution that plagues its waters. Surfers in IB don’t just check the surf cams and swell forecasts—they monitor the water data from the nearby International Boundary and Water Commission.

Other Tijuana River sewage crisis news:

• inewsource (San Diego, Calif.): Restoration projects in polluted Tijuana River Valley no longer aim of CA bill
• ABC10 (San Diego): Imperial Beach mayor pens letter to new EPA head seeking superfund status for sewage crisis