Have you ever planned a beach day only to find out the water is closed? For many in San Diego County, beach closures have become more than an occasional inconvenience. They are connected to an ongoing water pollution crisis affecting all aspects of life.
What is the Cause of San Diego Beach Closures?
South San Diego County beach closures are largely connected to sewage and contaminated water from the Tijuana River. When polluted water travels north towards the coast, the beaches in South San Diego County pay the price. From January 2023 to May 2026, reported closure days related to sewage included:
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Imperial Beach: 1,133 days
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Silver Strand: 868 days
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Coronado: 480 days
The problem is not isolated to just one beach, with the pollution affecting all of those who enjoy swimming and surfing. As well, the innocent marine life who are caught in the crossfire.
What is Polluting the Tijuana River and San Diego Beaches?
This issue goes deeper than ordinary trash entering the ocean. The pollution coming through the Tijuana River watershed includes domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, and contaminated runoff. The exact pollutants can vary based on a variety of factors, such as
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Weather
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Runoff
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Treatment Conditions
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Source of discharge
Reports from environmental and scientific organizations have identified concerns involving bacteria, metals, and industrial chemicals that are associated with inadequate wastewater treatment. Industrial activity in Tijuana and Mexicali, including manufacturing facilities known as maquiladoras, may contribute to the pollution. Many of these maquiladoras are US based companies exploiting the lower labor and production costs and as well as more lenient emissions standards or weaker environmental enforcement (regulatory arbitrage).
How Does Water Pollution Affect San Diego Communities
Water pollution is not an issue that solely affects the marine ecosystem This issue affects the San Diego community in a variety of ways, including:
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Public health
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Tourism
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Local business
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Recreation
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Property values
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Community quality of life
A 2026 San Diego commissioned study estimated that the Tijuana River sewage crisis could create $1.9 billion to $7.9 billion in economic impacts over the next 20 years.
This makes clean water both an environmental and economic issue. With beach closures, people lose access to important public spaces, and businesses can lose customers during the busiest times of the year.
What You Put on Your Skin Can Reach the Ocean
Though the main cause of the beach closures is waste from the Tijuana River, water pollution happens through everyday products as well. What someone puts on their skin can wash off into the ocean, having marine life bear the consequences of human actions.
One way to prevent this from happening is ensuring the sunscreen used is reef safe. Many sunscreen companies use chemical UV filters and nano zinc, and when washed off into the ocean can harm reefs and the innocent life in the ocean.
Read our blog to learn more about reef safe sunscreen → https://sunmudsunscreen.com/blogs/news/what-is-reef-safe
What Can You Do to Protect San Diego Beaches?
Individuals cannot solve this crisis by themselves. The long term solution requires major investments in wastewater infrastructure, treatment facilities, monitoring systems, and cross border cooperation. However, there are small steps that can be taken:
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Support organizations working on clean water issues, including San Diego Coastkeeper and Surfrider Foundation
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Participate in local beach and community cleanups
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Stay informed about local water quality issues and beach closures
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Support and advocate for long term infrastructure and policy solutions addressing sewage entering the Tijuana River watershed
Beach cleanups are valuable because they improve local areas and bring the community together. An useful activity, but the larger issue at hand requires infrastructure improvements to prevent sewage from entering the watershed in the first place.
The SUNMUD Difference
At SUNMUD, we believe in protecting your skin and caring for the places you enjoy should go hand in hand.
SUNMUD uses non-nano zinc as its mineral UV filter. The formula is designed to provide broad spectrum sun protection while offering an option for people who want to be more intentional about the products they use near beaches, rivers, and other waterways.
So…
Protecting San Diego beaches will require actions both at the individual and infrastructure levels. People can stay informed, follow water quality warmings, support clean water organizations, and make thoughtful choices about what they bring to the beach.
Take the first small step by using SUNMUD → https://sunmudsunscreen.com/collections/all
