Imperial Beach residents fight back against pollution, blaming Veolia for negligence.
Attorney Brett Schreiber filed a lawsuit Tuesday representing several Imperial Beach residents, accusing Veolia North America of negligence and recklessness in managing the ongoing sewage crisis. Schreiber expects the lawsuit to grow, potentially involving thousands of affected residents as the crisis worsens.
“Despite having received millions of dollars from the federal government, Veolia has failed to prevent the pollution in our community,” Schreiber stated during a press conference. “We believe this catastrophe should have been prevented had Veolia done their job.”
Schreiber claims there have been more than 500 incidents of illegal sewage discharges since 2018 from the plant that Veolia oversees on the U.S. side of the border near San Ysidro. He is using California nuisance law to hold the company accountable and push for change.
“There is power when the people lock arms and stand up together,” Schreiber said. “We hope to use California nuisance law, which stands for if you have interference of use and enjoyment of your property, you have a claim in California. We want to use that to get bad actors to change their behavior.”
Veolia responded to the lawsuit by dismissing the allegations, calling them “meritless.” In a statement, the company defended its efforts in running the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, citing the overwhelming challenges caused by sewage flows from Tijuana.
“Veolia North America has done its best to help operate the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances,” the company said. “The overwhelming cause of the odors and pollution affecting Imperial Beach is the excessive and uncontrolled sewage flows from Tijuana, much of which never even enters the South Bay plant.”
Veolia noted that the population of Tijuana has surged by nearly 30% over the past 15 years, while its infrastructure has not kept pace. “This plant was not built to endure these conditions: the uncontrolled flows of wastewater and the damage from mud and debris have overwhelmed the capacity of the plant and impacted its performance,” the statement continued. “This situation needs to be improved with stronger cross-border collaboration and holistic problem-solving at the local, state, and federal levels.”
Meanwhile, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer announced plans to introduce a policy for the Board of Supervisors to explore their own legal actions to address the crisis.
For residents like Baron Partlow, who is part of the lawsuit, the situation has had a serious impact. “I have been assaulted and criminally trespassed on when I can’t take my grandson to the beach,” Partlow shared, highlighting the personal toll the crisis has taken on the community.
