Ranch owner worries if Superfund in Tijuana River Valley could threaten business

SAN DIEGO (KGTV)— A week ago, ABC 10News covered the announcement where County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said they submitted a petition for a Superfund designation to the Environmental Protection Agency.

A Superfund designation is when the EPA comes into a contaminated area and cleans up the site to protect people’s health.

Lawson-Remer’s office confirmed via email that the EPA received its petition for a Superfund. The letter from the EPA said it would take up to a year for the petition to be assessed.

While a Superfund sounds like a perfect solution to the Tijuana Sewage Crisis, it could potentially threaten the residents and businesses in and near the contaminated area.

That is where ranch owner Gabriel Uribe comes in. Uribe is worried that a possible Superfund designation could take his business and home away from him.

Uribe owns Rancho Uribe, an event venue for weddings, parties, and more in Nestor. It’s less than two minutes away from the Tijuana River.

Uribe said the ranch is his life, and doesn’t want to deal with the possibility of losing it.

“This sanctuary here,” Uribe said. “I would not like to lose this. Not for me, not for my family.”

Uribe wants to see solutions to the South Bay sewage crisis, but when it comes to the idea of a Superfund designation, he said he doesn’t want to suddenly be forced to move and abandon his ranch or have the property value go down.

Lawson-Remer and Aguirre have already faced this same concern from other county leaders, such as County Chairwoman Nora Vargas, who represents the area.

Vargas has expressed concerns about the designation’s impact on property value.

Uribe said he has been researching what a Superfund is but still doesn’t have a clear picture of how it would directly impact his property.

“I’ve been getting mixed signals about this Superfund,” Uribe said. “I’m hearing it would destroy my property value, or they would have an eminent domain and kick us all out. I just don’t know what it will bring.”

Uribe had just returned from a doctor’s appointment Thursday before meeting with ABC 10News and said he went in for respiratory issues.

“I’ve had to call [911] and the fire department out here [before] because the smell was so bad. I ended up in the emergency room.”

Uribe said that is why he is invested in helping solve the sewage crisis, but not at the expense of his livelihood. Meanwhile, he is doing his part to help with the research side of the crisis.

San Diego State and UC San Diego researchers recently installed an air quality sensor on his ranch.

“This gives them all of the info about what time it starts to smell, how bad it smells, and it gives them a clear reading on the air quality in this area,” Uribe said.