“If this doesn’t prioritize our crisis here, our emergency that we’re all living and experiencing, I don’t know what will.”
Now, there are many, many, many things that can ruin a good surf. Forgetting to properly wax board, lingering in parking lot until the wind picks up, chatting with pal while wave of the day feathers just right there, eye-catching man or woman being lightly too provocative, the smell of fresh sizzling carne asada wafting on a warm breeze.
The latter is of particular trouble in California’s very southern San Diego County where a weird piling fence thing from about 100 yards into the Pacific and up the sand separates Mexico from the United States of America. President Joe Biden, fulfilling campaign promises to his most liberal base, has bulldozed environmental concerns and is adding to his predecessor’s border wall while expelling who families from icky places like Venezuela. That’s all mostly happening points east, though, leaving California open to south-of-the-boarder distractions.
Like aroma of fresh sizzling carne asada or, even more problematic, al pastor slowly spinning on a spit, pineapple nearby.
Yum.
Well, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) has decided to take matter into its own hands and will measure the air quality near the Tijuana River Valley by figuring out what’s in it by setting up six new “odor sensors” in Imperial Beach.
Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide are the main focus for the odors,” Kevin Bradley, a senior chemist at SDAPCD told San Diego’s local ABC affiliate. “It’s a quality of life issue. It can affect mental health, you know, your appetite, all sorts of different things to be able to smell something that terrible. All these compounds contribute to poor air quality. However, the gasses that are of most concern in the Tijuana River Valley are sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, with hydrogen sulfide being the main culprit that causes the pungent odor associated with sewage and wastewater. Sulfur dioxide typically does not produce odor at ambient levels but can provide additional information on hydrogen sulfide levels.”
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre was happy about the odor sensors but also frustrated. “It’s unfortunate that we have to present hard data to make our case, right?” She said. “It’s very obvious we are having environmental impacts, public health impacts, impacts to our local economy. If this doesn’t prioritize our crisis here, our emergency that we’re all living and experiencing, I don’t know what will.”
I guess I didn’t know that melty panela cheese let off sulphur dioxide though, I’d imagine, it would be difficult sitting down for a boring old hamburger or slab of ketchup smeared meatloaf in Imperial Beach and being forced to smell grilled octopus and cilantro would be a huge bummer.
I surfed through the border, once, in Imperial Beach. Paddling from California to Mexico and actually had tacos on the beach right there.
Cutting the session short.
If I recall, I wasn’t allowed to paddle back and a pal had to come pick me up.
He had tacos too.
