This week, San Diego leaders asked state and federal agencies to investigate the effects of cross-border pollution on public health in the region. Then, we discuss efforts at Southwestern College to address concerns of racial discrimination on campus in recent years.
S1: Welcome to KPBS roundtable. I'm Scott Rod. Cross-border sewage has been contaminating the air and water of South Bay communities for years.S1: Then ? Southwestern College has faced accusations of racial discrimination in recent years. Has it done enough to address those concerns ? Plus , we dive into other stories from this week and the roundup that's just ahead on KPBS roundtable.
S2: So we know through the county's sensitive water quality testing that the water is unsafe to swimming. Right , to get an even just contact. It's very unsafe. And a 2023 Scripps study found that bacteria from untreated wastewater in the ocean off of Imperial Beach is becoming airborne. So what that tells us is you don't even have to come into contact with the water. Simply breathing it could potentially make you ill. So that's very concerning.
S2: I think it's important to remember that this is a community with , um , a lot of low income families. Right ? Um , people that live in apartments as well. So especially in the summer when it gets really hot , people are having to make the decision of , do I close my windows because I don't have , you know , AC but I'll bear through that because I just cannot stand the sewage stench.
S2: Their work is changing. I think something that really stuck with me is they're calling themselves land lifeguards. And what that means is they're doing more work on land than they are in water now. They only get in the water if they absolutely have to. So they're spending most of their hours on land advocating. Basically , they're telling people don't get in the water.
S2: One of them being not a lot of people are getting tested. So only the most severe cases end up in the hospital for let's just take diarrhea for example. Right. Very uncomfortable. Um , so to get tested , per CDC guidelines , if you want to get tested for that , you really need to present other symptoms like fever. You have to have this problem. For a long time , and also even present blood in your stool.
S2: I do actually have a lot of hope that we are heading in the right direction. For example , uh , Congress has been , um , approving a lot of funding for the international boundary and Water Commission that is responsible for managing the wastewater plant here in San Diego. And , you know , if we can get to the source , right , fixing it and expanding that , then that's going to bring a lot of relief to the communities.
S1: Right. So we have the report in 2018 with some very stark , unsettling findings. Now two professors are suing Southwestern College. S1: Your story highlights and drills down into the power imbalances at play here. Tell me about that. S3: The president , he came in two years after that report. And one thing that stood out to him right away was that the transfer rates for black male students was , he said to he would bet that it was some of the lowest in the state. One of the things he's tried to do is expand how many four year colleges and universities could offer their programs on southwestern campus to make them more accessible for these students. That seems to be successful so far.
S1: Yeah , I believe it. Have you seen any cybertruck's zipping around our streets ? Oh , multiple. Yeah. Me too. I gotta say , they're goofy looking , but I'm not gonna dive into that topic. I'm gonna instead catch us up on , uh , you talked about the Imperial Valley. I'm going to catch us up on some things going on , uh , from Sacramento.
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