Reconnecting Tijuana and its River

At the Mexico - United States border, the Tijuana River flows along a concrete canal. However, it still maintains an almost 2 miles of natural floodplain, resulting in 170 acres of land with high ecological value for dozens of species of native flora and fauna.

Pronatura Noroeste and other organizations from the Tijuana River Action Network have come up with various strategies to restore and recover this emblematic stream as part of Tijuana’s environmental heritage within the state of Baja California and the northwestern region of the country

OBJECTIVE

• Recover natural areas and hydrological and ecological functions of the unlined section of the Tijuana River.
• Restore habitat for wildlife and offer a natural area for citizens of Tijuana along the natural floodplain of this river.

LOCATION

The project covers almost 2 miles of the Tijuana River, from the Abelardo L. Rodriguez dam to the river canalization, covering a total of 170 acres. 

WORK PROGRESS

• Cleaning waste and debris.
• Rehabilitation of 1.5 miles of riverbed in order to generate a continuous flow of water.
• Securing an agreement with authorities to dedicate 30% of the water treated at the Arturo Herrera and La Morita plants for the restoration of this ecosystem.
• Removal of invasive plants and reforestation with native plants.