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Smuggler's Gulch

Geography of San DiegoGeography of TijuanaLandforms of Baja CaliforniaLandforms of San Diego County, CaliforniaMexico–United States border
Use American English from June 2019
Smuggler's Gulch
Smuggler's Gulch

The Smuggler's Gulch is part of a steep walled canyon about 2 miles (3.2 km) inland of the Pacific Ocean. The canyon crosses the Mexico–United States border, between Tijuana, Baja California, and San Diego, California, and Smuggler's Gulch is the part of the canyon on the US side of the border. It may also be called Cañón del Matadero or Valle Montezuma in Spanish, but these names apply more generally to the whole canyon. Smuggling activities within Smuggler's Gulch have occurred since the 19th century, giving this part of the canyon its name. The gulch is vegetated with coastal sage scrub and is home to threatened and special concern bird species. It has a seasonal stream, and normal flow is diverted for treatment. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, agriculture occurred in the gulch, but was largely abandoned by the late 20th century. In the late 20th century, the gulch was used by illegal immigrants when crossing from Mexico into the United States, being described as a "prime route" during that period. Beginning in the 1980s, sewage flowing through the gulch entered into the Tijuana River, contributing to water contamination; since then mitigation efforts have been undertaken, but are defeated by rainfall. Since 2009, it has been partially filled and traversed by the Mexico–United States barrier.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Smuggler's Gulch (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Smuggler's Gulch
Monument Road, San Diego Tijuana River Valley

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Latitude Longitude
N 32.5447789 ° E -117.088361 °
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Monument Road

Monument Road
92173 San Diego, Tijuana River Valley
California, United States
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Smuggler's Gulch
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International Boundary Wastewater Treatment Plant

The International Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) is a plant developed by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) in the South Bay area of San Diego, California. Construction began on a 75-acre site, west of San Ysidro in the Tijuana River Valley. The project, authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1989 and formally agreed between the two countries in July 1990, was part of a regional approach to solve long-standing problems, particularly the flow of sewage-contaminated water into the ocean via the Tijuana River.Completed in spring 1997, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on April 18 and the plant came properly on-line in May. The International Wastewater Treatment Plant was created in an effort to mitigate pollution caused by untreated sewage coming from the city of Tijuana. The U.S. paid for the majority of the treatment plant, citing the sewage runoff as an international issue. It required the cooperation of multiple governmental bodies. Even though most of the plant's raw sewage comes from Tijuana, it is owned by the U.S. portion of the International Boundary and Water Commission, an agreement between Mexico and the US that helps delineate border lines and allocate water flow from the rivers and other bodies of water that intermingle between the U.S. and Mexico.Due to the rapid growth Tijuana has experienced, failures of the sewer infrastructure were frequent. Mexico did not have the money to fund a large treatment plant to deal with this issue, so the U.S., specifically the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), helped to fund the project. The rationale for this was that due to the proximity of Tijuana to San Diego, and the fact that the sewage flow often causes the closure of U.S. beaches due to bacterial contamination of the water, it was warranted for both municipalities and government bodies to contribute to funding. The project cost the U.S. a total of $239 million initially, and the addition of secondary treatment technology that helped meet regulations so the water could flow to the U.S. side of the border cost an additional $18 million. Currently, the treatment plant supports a daily flow of 25 million gallons of raw sewage per day. Ultimately, this agreement made strides to increase the availability of clean drinking water in Tijuana and helped to ensure that pollution and degradation to the surrounding environment was minimized.

Bullring by the Sea
Bullring by the Sea

The Plaza Monumental de Tijuana (also called "Plaza Monumental de Playas de Tijuana" after the neighborhood in which it is located), and popularly known in English as the Bullring by the Sea, is a bullring in the city of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It is currently used for bullfighting; the bullring has also been the scene for great boxing matches, concerts, cultural, and sporting events that have benefited the Tijuana community greatly. The stadium holds 21,621 people and its opening was held on June 26, 1960. It is located just 60 meters from the United States border and one block from the Pacific Ocean. The bullring was constructed in only 90 days, resulting from a contract between Salvatore Hurtado, the owner, and Raymundo Muzquiz Ayala. Muzquiz accomplished the construction so quickly by use of pre-fabricated blocks that were made in San Diego and assembled in Tijuana. Bullfights were broadcast in Los Angeles in Spanish during the 1960s and 1970s. Celebrated American bullfighter Sidney Franklin provided commentary in English in the 1960s and by bullfighting expert Syd Love in the 1970s via FM simulcast. The Tijuana Pop Festival was held in the Bullring on 13 October 1968. The festival was slated to feature the Animals, Iron Butterfly, Patchwork Security Blanket, the Collectors, the Chicago Transit Authority and the Yellow Pages; however, the Animals and Iron Butterfly never played. Other issues which marred the event included rumors that the festival had been canceled, long pauses between acts, police activity at the border and at the ring and the political impact of the Tlatelolco massacre only eleven days before. Roger B. Stovold of the Teaspoon Door called the event "one of the biggest fiascos in pop festival history" and concluded that it "left enough of a black mark that any future pop festival in Mexico is unlikely."