Imperial Beach

A major sewer-line break in Tijuana has sent as much as 5 million gallons of additional sewage a day flowing into the United States, the county health department said.

Normally, about 4.5 million to 7 million gallons of effluent flows from Tijuana down canyons and ravines onto this side of the border daily, the health department said.

The spill began Wednesday afternoon when a water main broke, washing out a 42-inch sewer pipe near the border. The break forced the shutdown of pumping stations, permitting sewage from these facilities to escape into canyons that lead to the Tijuana River on the U.S. side of the border, county health spokesman Larry Aker said.

The Tijuana River empties into the ocean at Imperial Beach. Permanent signs warning people of the sewage contamination have been posted at both the mouth of the river and on the beach, Aker said.

Officials estimated it will take three days to complete the repairs to the sewer main. Meanwhile, Tijuana’s connection to the San Diego Metropolitan Sewage System has been activated to handle the extra flow of sewage, Aker said.

County Health Services and other agencies are monitoring the water quality along the Imperial Beach coast to determine whether more warning signs are needed.