Community meeting in Los Laureles Canyon

In 2003-2004, ICF received two grants: one from the California Coastal Conservancy and the other from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve control of erosion and storm water in Los Laureles Canyon in Tijuana, Mexico. This and several other urban canyons drain directly into the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR), resulting in growing environmental impacts from sediment, trash, and pollution that cross the border at Los Laureles Canyon during the rainy season. During the 2004 storm season, one million cubic yards of sediment were removed from the TRNERR that came across the border from Los Laureles Canyon.

Phase one began in August of 2003 carried out by Instituto Municipal de Planeación (IMPlan) and Instituto Mexicano para la Tecnología de Agua (IMTA). It consisted of a technical diagnostic of the demography, ecology, hydrology, geology, and institutional and legal framework of the canyon. A final draft of the diagnostic was completed in November 2004. The full document will be available in the coming months. An executive summary was prepared in Spanish to provide critical information to local residents on erosion and rainfall in the area.

Phase two began in January 2005 – a small grants program for community-based pilot projects that addressed various aspects of erosion control and storm water management in Los Laureles Canyon. ICF and its Technical Advisory Committee selected three projects in Colonia San Bernardo located at the top of the watershed:

“Manos a la Obra” or “Working Hands”: Focuses on applying methods that will control erosion in Colonia San Bernardo. Community trainers from Promoción y Docencia will train at least 10 local residents on issues of erosion, trash management, public health, public safety and other relevant themes. Simultaneously, a reforestation project will be started with local homeowners on the slopes behind their homes incorporating low-tech and low-cost irrigation ideas. RECON, a local land use consulting company with a native plant nursery will donate the plants.

Community meeting in Los Laureles Canyon

Water Quality, Public Health, and Recycling: Led by a group called “Ja Jan”, this project intends to increase the level of awareness of the relationship between environmental and public health; integrate community members in local and regional events, such as World Water Monitoring Day, Coastal Clean Up Day, and Coastal Monitoring Day; and establish a recycling transfer station in Colonia San Bernardo’s community center.

Composting Household Goods: Focuses on composting to recuperate the eroded soils and prepare them for later reforestation in Colonia San Bernardo. The Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana and ECO-SOL hope to encourage local residents to consider composting as a micro-enterprise. In addition to nurturing to the soils, composting has the added benefit of decreasing health risks and environmental impact (in landfills). For non-organic waste, UTT and ECO-SOL will work with community members to see if recycling is possible.

Pilot projects have been substantially bolstered by the City of Tijuana’s support and participation. Not only has Tijuana’s Mayor, Jorge Hank Rhon, committed $50,000 toward the pilot projects, but the city has also donated land, which will be used for a small community center, model home, plant nursery, composting and recycling station, as well as a site for making pervious pavers. Working with ICF grantee, Esperanza de Mexico, the City of Tijuana has agreed to use pervious pavers on the three main streets in Colonia San Bernardo, which will significantly slow the water during storm events. Finally, the City of Tijuana has agreed to use this project as a model for other private developments. Most recently, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve was declared a Ramsar site with recognition and protection under the UN’s Convention for Wetlands Protection.

ICF will continue its leadership role in bringing technical resources to this project of binational importance, encouraging the use of best practices and “lessons learned” from other grantees, and seeking additional funding for a long-term erosion control and storm water management project in Los Laureles Canyon.

For more information on ICF’s work in Los Laureles Canyon, please contact Anne McEnany at 858-677-2915 or anne@icfdn.org. Documents in Spanish are available at http://www.icfdn.org/initiatives/llc/llc.htm.