Tijuana River sediment fluxes estimated for effort to improve sediment management practices

SCCWRP and San Diego State University have successfully estimated the sediment fluxes being discharged from the Tijuana River at the U.S.-Mexico border to its coastal estuarine terminus – a key step in an ongoing effort to examine how to improve sediment management practices to mitigate the adverse ecological effects of these fluxes.

The two-year study, completed in January, will support a Tijuana River demonstration project intended to showcase how a more integrated approach to sediment management could improve outcomes for downstream coastal environments. Managers devote significant resources to sediment management, including as part of stormwater discharge permits.

The Tijuana River demonstration project will use computer modeling to explain how sediment fluxes interact with coastal estuaries and nearshore processes. The project also will consider how these interactions are expected to change in response to sea level rise and climate change.

The findings could help inform projects such as wetland restoration and beach nourishment.