Binational Vision Project: Objectives
The stakeholders of the Tijuana River Watershed desire to meet the needs of the present while protecting resources for future generations; to create a balance between natural resource protection, economic development, and quality of life; to proactively manage local surface and groundwater for long-term sustainability; to protect, restore, and connect habitats; to create a strong economic base for sustainable development; and to create human communities that allow people to enjoy the unique cultural and natural landscapes and functions of the watershed.
Water Quantity
- Map and characterize aquifers
- Control erosion and manage sedimentation (e.g., bank re-grading and revegetation, channel grade, control structures, riprap)
- Increase permeability of developed land by redirecting runoff into bioswales and removing unneeded hardscape
- Preserve open space to improve percolation into the aquifer and to decrease rapid runoff
- Test the feasibility of recharging the groundwater basin with surface flows
- Develop detailed water budget and hydrologic model
- Manage groundwater to prevent future overdraft
- Develop water source protection measures
- Utilize neighborhood-based and subwatershed flood detention solutions (i.e., increase groundwater percolation and slowing of surface runoff)
- Restore floodplain using management practices, such as reforestation, bioengineering, and/or other nonstructural approaches
- Implement stormwater retention and rainwater harvesting techniques
- Create demonstration projects (i.e., septic tanks, constructed wetlands, industrial pretreatment systems)
- Promote comprehensive conservation programs to reduce water consumption
- Expand flood warning systems
Water Quality
- Modify the concrete channels and other flood control structures to restore river function
- Plant native riparian species to filter and slow pollutants
- Create river parks
- Create meanders and braiding in floodplain
- Restore floodplains using existing open spaces and green areas
- Build weirs and berms to slow transport of pollutants downstream
- Build erosion-control structures on steep slopes
- Create holding ponds to filter pollutants and recharge groundwater
- Enforce the mitigation of hazardous material disposal and industrial discharge
- Design urban green areas for percolation and filtration purposes
- Reforest the upper basin to slow runoff and reduce erosion
- Provide adequate sewage systems for all communities
- Restrict hillside development to reduce erosion
- Continue university water quality research projects
- Expand and coordinate water quality monitoring in streams and test for toxics in the tissues of benthic invertebrates
- Remove hardscape where possible to allow filtration of storm water
- Continue to monitor nutrients and biota in Estuary
- Revegetate steep slopes
- Implement binational watershed health indicators program
- Develop integrated water quality water quantity model
Ecosystems and Natural Resources
- Create legal protection for biological core areas, such as patches of forests, sage scrub, chaparral, riparian, and other vegetation
- Create a legally protected binational preserve network between existing open spaces, protected areas, and core areas with easements, agricultural preserves, land trusts, research reserves, river parks, and wildlife preserves
- Continue existing university research on ecosystem functions
- Begin a program to monitor animal movement and habitat use
- Restore surface water flow in streams and rivers to improve aquatic habitat
- Restore wetlands, such as vernal pools, salt marshes, and estuaries
- Enforce endangered species laws and habitat protection laws
- Create urban green areas for birds and other wildlife
- Maintain water and sediment quality that will sustain populations of fish and other wildlife
- Eradicate and control movement of nonnative species and introduce native species
Solid and Hazardous Waste
- Educate citizens and businesses on proper waste disposal
- Enforce industrial waste laws
- Implement laws to mitigate flow of waste into waterways, including industrial pretreatment programs
- Create more recycling centers and foster a recycling culture
- Remove existing waste, and develop strategy for continual monitoring and cleanups
- Create economic incentives to curb the illegal disposal of hazardous waste
- Implementation of pollution prevention programs by industry
Air Quality
- Promote solar and renewable energy
- Improve public transportation
- Enforce emissions standards for industry and vehicles
- Monitor air quality in Mexico and provide public access to data
- Educate citizens about open burning
- Research future effects of global warming on the region
- Decrease health risks from air pollution
- Decrease environmental impacts from air pollution
- Conduct transborder air quality modeling and analysis
- Reduce point-source pollution
- Reduce mobile sources of air pollution
- Develop a transborder air basin (Binational Air Quality Alliance [BAQA])
- Develop emissions-trading mechanisms
- Coordinate energy planning (Border Energy Forum)
- Pave roads
- Obtain formal recognition for the transborder air basin
Socioeconomic Issues
- Monitor quality of life through indicators
- Relocate residents from flood zones to safe areas
- Create flood control structures that also provide recreational opportunities, such as river parks
- Improve and expand sewage system services
- Provide public transportation alternatives, bike paths, and improve traffic flow
- Create trail systems for hiking and horseback riding
- Create open spaces and green areas within cities and on the outskirts
- Create green buffers for noise and air pollution, and to decrease urban heat islands
- Create historical zones, restore historical buildings, and attract tourism
- Create wilderness preserves for education and recreation
- Maintain clean beaches and monitor pollution violations upstream
- Create urban tree-planting programs
- Provide safe recreational opportunities, open space, wildlife viewing, green areas, tourism opportunities, and clean beaches and rivers
- Reduce erosion and landslide hazards
Recommendations
The recommendations for meeting the goals identified by stakeholders in the process of developing the Vision are:
- Identify important conservation areas for restoration and rehabilitation based on ecosystem function and threats
- Increase knowledge of the cultural characteristics of indigenous and other peoples of the watershed
- Protect sensitive habitat as well as cultural and historical areas
- Market sustainable tourism opportunities
- Binational planning for flood hazards
- Evaluate and protect groundwater supplies
- Develop and implement watershed education programs and products for children and adults
- Connect conservation areas across the border
- Expand water reuse
- Facilitate cross-border vehicular traffic flow and reduce impacts in adjacent communities
- Develop an integrated waste management system with recycling components
- Develop a binational water quality monitoring system
- Develop point and non-point source water pollution prevention programs
- Develop mechanisms for transborder watershed management
