Lower ocean water bacteria levels have reopened the Imperial Beach shoreline to a level not seen since mid-December 2023, though a much longer closure, dating back to late 2021, remains in place for the Tijuana Slough.
On Sunday, the county environmental health department lifted its water-contact closures at Cortez Avenue and South Seacrest Drive, locations that bookend a nearly half-mile stretch of sand at the extreme southern end of the Imperial Beach shoreline. The move, said to be made possible because recent water quality tests “meet state health standards,” came just one day after similar closures were lifted Saturday at the Imperial Beach Pier and Carnation Avenue.
The net effect: Contact with ocean water on all city beaches is now allowed without advisories that such recreation could be harmful to human health.
However, ongoing discharge from the Tijuana River has kept contact closure orders in place south of Seacoast Drive all the way to the border. This roughly two-mile section has now been under closure for more than 1,000 consecutive days.
A county official with the county Department of Environmental Health and Quality said Monday that media and other reports indicating that Imperial Beach beaches had been opened after a three-year stretch of closure were erroneous. Officials cautioned that new monitoring results could once again force the closure of Imperial beaches. The current status of warnings for all San Diego County beaches is available to the public at sdbeachinfo.com.
Originally Published: