A sewage leak roughly a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Baja California, has caused the closure of three beaches in San Diego, including Imperial Beach.

A ruptured pipeline is thought to be the cause, and it remains unclear whether or not the leak has been completely contained; over 1 million gallons of raw sewage have poured into the Pacific so far.

While these situations are never a good thing, the timing of this event is even worse. If this had happened during the winter, the northwest swell and prevailing winds would have likely kept the problem at its source rather than carry it to our shores. As it remains, swell and currents from the south, which are present during summertime, have pushed the foul water north. Even worse still, a large SSW groundswell and SSE hurricane swell from Tropical Storm Ileana are set to blast the West Coast during the upcoming holiday weekend. These two swells will bring a lot more water up from Mexico, which could mean even more beach closures.

Surfer magazine also reported on this story here.

Imperial Beach photo: Ghiglia, courtesy Surfer