Did you see my post last Tuesday?
I ended that post with a list of the 7 most polluted bodies of water in the US, and I was surprised that I had to look a couple of them up…and I was sad to see several of the ones I knew on the list…but that is for another day.
No. 5 on the list was New River or Rio Nuevo. I had never heard of this river, so I dug a little deeper. New River headwaters originate about 15 miles south of the City of Mexicali, in the Mexicali Valley, Mexico and it flows to Calexico, US then empties into the Salton Sea. The modern day river was formed in 1905 following major flooding and a levee failure, however the river channel has existed since prehistoric times.
The river is considered too toxic to touch. Those crossing the river from Mexico to the US (that is a debate for another time) often emerge with itchy sores and rashes, and can become violently ill if the water is swallowed.
“The murky green water reeks of sewage and carries soapsuds, pieces of trash and a load of toxic chemicals from Mexicali, a city filled with factories that manufacture products from electronics to auto parts.” “Just north of the border in Calexico, the New River is treated like a toxic waste site. On the edge of its trash-strewn ravine, a yellow sign is planted in the dusty soil with a skull-and-crossbones symbol and the warning: ‘CONTAMINATED SOIL AND NEW RIVER WATER, KEEP OUT!!’”
According to the California Water Boards: The New River carries urban runoff, treated municipal wastes, untreated and partially treated industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff from the Mexicali Valley into the United States. By the time the New River reaches the Salton Sea, about 2/3 of its flow consists of wastewater in the form of agricultural runoff from Imperial County. Historically, the New River has been recognized as a significant pollution problem since at least the late 1940s, primarily because of its extremely high concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria and offensive odor at the International Boundary.
The California Water Boards site also says there are ongoing projects on both sides of the border. With that being said, there doesn’t seem to be a good solution in sight.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_River_(Mexico%E2%80%93United_States)#:~:text=The%20New%20River%20
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb7/water_issues/programs/new_river/nr_intro.html
