Tijuana River Watershed Binational Vision
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A Binational Vision for the Tijuana River Watershed Prepared for the Binational Watershed Advisory Council for the Tijuana River Watershed by the Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias and the Department of Geography at San Diego State University August 2005 With partial funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the County of San Diego, and San Diego State University Binational Vision for the TRW ii Children’s Vision of the TRW The future TRW in a healthy state… and in an unhealthy state By Gladys Aguilar, San Antonio Necua, Baja California How people can help clean up the TRW waterways by Shannon Johnson, Campo, California iii Binational Vision for the TRW Acknowledgements Special thanks to the following contributors: Lawrence Beck, SDSU Stephanie Brodine, SDSU Fred Cagle, Southwest Interpretive Association Nico Calavita, SDSU Ted Case, UCSD Jane Clough-Riquelme, SANDAG Katherine Comer, SDSU Maria Curry, ICOMOS Martín De la Rosa, Comité de Planeación del Desarollo Municipal Julie Desmond, SDSU Ileana Espejel, UABC Robert Fisher, SDSU Paul Ganster, SDSU Rick Gersberg, SDSU Carlos Graizbord, consultant Ned Greenwood, SDSU Louise Gresham, SDSU Larry Herzog, SDSU Alan Kilpatrick, SDSU Gene Lamke, SDSU Anne McAney, ICF John O’Leary, SDSU Victor Miguel Ponce, SDSU Elsa Saxod, City of San Diego Laura Silvan, PROFEA Alan Sweedler, SDSU Fernando Wakida Kusunoki, UABC Michael White, Conservation Biology Institute Michael Wilken, CUNA Richard Wright, SDSU iv Comments on the drafts provided by: Bart Christensen, CASWRCB Mike Connolly, Campo EPA Elizabeth Giffen, County of San Diego Emilio De la Fuente, consultant Magda Gramada, County of San Diego Anne McAnaney, International Community Foundation Eugenia McNaughton, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Jeffery Pasek, City of San Diego Mario Salzmann, Fundación La Puerta, A.C. Gabriel Sánchez, Binational Vision Project Team Elsa Saxod, City of San Diego Miguel Ángel Vargas, Pronatura, A.C. Armando Villarino, City of San Diego Walter Zúñiga, Secretaría de Fomento Agropecuario and UABC Cartography: David Dow, SDSU Harry Johnson, SDSU Andy Gordon, SDSU Kristen O’Grady, SDSU David Lindsey, SDSU Molly Schmelzle, SDSU Merrillee Willoughby, SDSU Additional comments are welcome. Please send them to: Katherine Comer, Research Coordinator Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias, SDSU [email protected] (619) 594-5423 v Binational Vision for the TRW Funding for this project has been provided in full or in part through a contract with the California State Water Resources Control Board (CASWRCB) pursuant to the Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000 (Proposition 13) and any amendments thereto for the implementation of California’s Non-point Source Pollution Control Program. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the CASWRCB, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. The data and products in this document were collected by the Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias (IRSC), the Geography Department at San Diego State University, and El Sistema de Informacíon Geográfica of El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) in Tijuana. There are some restrictions on the distribution of these data and projects. Please be aware that these products and much of the data and maps are generalized for display and regional planning purposes. vi Table of Contents Executive vision statement for the Tijuana River Watershed .......................................................................1 Executive summary .......................................................................................................................................3 Introduction to watersheds ............................................................................................................................9 Introduction to the Tijuana River Watershed ..............................................................................................11 The TRW Binational Vision Project ...........................................................................................................15 Description of the visioning process.......................................................................................................15 Project time line ......................................................................................................................................16 Description of stakeholder meetings.......................................................................................................17 Stakeholder input ....................................................................................................................................18 Topography .................................................................................................................................................21 Precipitation ................................................................................................................................................23 Population....................................................................................................................................................25 Population trends ....................................................................................................................................25 Population data gaps ...............................................................................................................................28 Land use ......................................................................................................................................................29 Land use trends .......................................................................................................................................32 Land use data ..........................................................................................................................................34 Land use data gap....................................................................................................................................34 Water quantity.............................................................................................................................................37 Hydrology ...............................................................................................................................................37 Water supply and demand.......................................................................................................................40 Precipitation ............................................................................................................................................43 Flooding and landslides ..........................................................................................................................43 Stream flow.............................................................................................................................................46 Groundwater quantity .............................................................................................................................46 Colorado River water quantity................................................................................................................50 Wastewater quantity and infrastructure ..................................................................................................50 Water quantity trends..............................................................................................................................53 Surface water ......................................................................................................................................53 Groundwater .......................................................................................................................................55 Future sources.....................................................................................................................................55 Water quantity data.................................................................................................................................57 Water quantity data gaps.........................................................................................................................57 Water quantity recommendations ...........................................................................................................58 Water quality...............................................................................................................................................63 Surface water quality ..............................................................................................................................63 Summary of water quality testing projects for the TRW ...................................................................66 Groundwater quality ...............................................................................................................................69 Colorado River and State Project water quality......................................................................................70 Wastewater quality..................................................................................................................................70 Water quality data...................................................................................................................................71