Below are a few of my content based articles that I wrote and that were included into my final magazine.
What is the Mexican Government doing?
In 2003 the Mexican secretariat of Environment, Tourism, and Health put into place a “Clean Beach Program” so they could keep a close eye on the water quality of the beaches in Mexico. With this water quality program in place the water in tourist beaches could be monitored all over the country and it would become easier for health reports to be issued to the public. Just in Baja California alone 21 beaches in the cities of Ensenada, San Felipe, Rosarito, and Tijuana are monitored throughout the year to oversee any spikes in pollution. Water with high bacterial levels being used for recreation purposes can obviously lead to risks to human health, such as stomach flu, eye infections, skin rashes, and even respiratory problems. Mexican officials did not set the bar very high when it came to water pollution, a beach would be at risk for closure due to contamination if bacteria levels reached 500 microbes per 100 millimeters, while just across the border San Diego beach bacteria levels can’t go over 32 microbes per 100 kilometres! According to Greenpeace the main reason for the unhealthy beaches of Mexico is the “improper discharge of about 33,000 gallons of untreated raw sewage and industrial runoff into the ocean each second.”. Only 40.3% of Mexico’s wastewater is treated before being dumped, the other 59.7% is just dumped. 17/21 beaches in the Baja California area alone exceeded US water pollution standards, one beach in San Felipe had an astonishing 630 microbes per 100 millimeters. Heal the Bay is a non-profit Californian Environmental organization which monitors all 483 beaches in California, 77 of those 483 can be found in the San Diego County. About 95% (73) of those 77 beaches have received a health grade of a “B” or above from Heal the Bay officials, in fact only one beach of the four remaining beaches received a failing grade. That beach can be found in the Tijuana watershed, where the outflow of the Tijuana River carries the runoff of Mexico. These staggering statistics should serve as a constant reminder to the population and government of both sides of the border that pollution has no borders.
Index:
Secretariat - a permanent administrative office or department, especially a governmental one.
Index:
Secretariat - a permanent administrative office or department, especially a governmental one.
Tijuana watershed
The binational Tijuana watershed covers about 1,750 square miles and three fourths of that lies in Mexico. Mexican side of the watershed reaches from Laguna Mountains in the US to the Sierra de Juarez Mountains in Mexico. The water in this watershed is scarce, the average rainfall is about 10 inches per year. The prices in water rise and amount of water decreases, the idea of increasing the use of groundwater becomes more logical. Contamination of water from sewage runoff, fertilizers, and pesticides has become a concern for both sides of the border. Illegal dumping of toxins by industrial and commercial business has become a challenge for Mexican officials, they still continue to march forward with their conservation and clean-up efforts. Agriculture, industrial, and commercial waste also contribute to the pollution found the US side of the watershed, like Mexican officials, they are also fighting to keep our waters clean. Even though the US and Mexico are divided by a border they’re joined by one necessity, water.
Prop 1 Write Up
English
Proposition 1 authorizes over $7.5 billion dollars water bonds to be used towards state water supply maintenance and storage. Water supply infrastructure projects, surface and groundwater storage, watershed restoration and protection, and drinking water protection. Voting yes on Prop 1 will supply a reliable water supply for farms, businesses, and communities during times of droughts. Even though it encourages economic growth, this proposition in some aspects of it is unfair to taxpayers and will deepen California’s debt. Even though many good things can come from Prop 1: water conservation and restoration of our existing watersheds, but the debt that California will face outweighs the benefits. Under Prop 1, water storage money seems to be a bad investment because it will do little drought relief for the population in near future and doesn’t reduce the need for the already water-deprived water sources. This proposition will also take away funding from school, health care, roads, and public safety. The decision is up to you, you have the power to change the fate of California’s water supply!
Spanish
Proposición 1 autoriza a más de $7.5 mil millones de dólares de bonos de agua que se utilizarán para el mantenimiento de suministro de agua y el estado de almacenamiento . Los proyectos de infraestructura de abastecimiento de agua, aguas superficiales y subterráneas de almacenamiento, restauración de cuencas hidrográficas y protección , y la protección del agua potable. Votar SÍ a la Proposición 1 suministrará un suministro confiable de agua para las granjas, empresas y comunidades en épocas de sequías. A pesar de que estimula el crecimiento económico, esta proposición en algunos aspectos de la misma es injusto para los contribuyentes y profundizarán la deuda de California. A pesar de que muchas cosas buenas pueden salir de la Proposición 1: la conservación del agua y la restauración de nuestras cuencas hidrográficas existentes, la deuda que California se enfrentará mayor que los beneficios. Bajo la Proposición 1, el dinero de almacenamiento de agua parece ser una mala inversión porque va a hacer muy poco alivio de la sequía para la población en un futuro próximo y no reducirá la necesidad de las fuentes de agua ya privados de agua. Esta proposición también quitará los fondos de la escuela, cuidado de la salud, las carreteras, y la seguridad pública. La decisión depende de usted, ¡Usted tiene el poder de cambiar el destino de suministro de agua de California!