Los Laureles Canyon: Research in Action

Los Laureles Canyon tells the story of a binational community of urban planners, scientists, public health experts, college students and Tijuana residents working together to address an “environmental catastrophe” in the making. The story links concerns about environmental health, poverty and climate change with a focus on water and watershed management. The canyon itself starts high in Tijuana, crosses the US-Mexican border and then opens into sensitive wetlands in San Diego County. The problem is that 65,000 people now live on the Mexican side, most of them poor and unable to afford adequate infrastructure. Their waste joins industrial toxicants in a stream at the bottom of the canyon, creating the “aguas negras” or black waters that create health risks and spread disease to local children and animals. The crossborder (south to north) flows of pollution and eroded sediment chokes the estuary on the US side of the border and kills sensitive wildlife. The history of the canyon is told by those who are trying to save it. We hear from a family living in the canyon (in Spanish, with subtitles) and from US and Mexican researchers who recount bad land-use decisions that stripped the canyon of its native vegetation, making it vulnerable to powerful rainstorms that followed. We also see signs of optimism as experts on both sides of the border collaborate on eco-friendly, culturally sustainable solutions that if proven successful, could be applied to other troubled communities throughout the world.