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IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — The county Department of Environmental Health has issued a beach closure for the shoreline near Border Field State Park and the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge due to runoff from the Tijuana River that is contaminated with sewage.

The runoff is a frequent side effect of a storm in the region, one that nearby residents know all too well.

“It stinks, it’s awful. It’s just so much trash down the whole bay,” said Raquel Pitsenberger, who lives in Imperial Beach.

The closure affects all beaches between Seacoast Drive and the U.S.-Mexico border and will remain in effect until the water meets state health standards.

Residents can visit sdbeachinfo.com or call the county’s beach information hotline at 619-338- 2073 for more information.