Rio Alamar facts for kids
The Rio Alamar or Arroyo de Alamar is a river mostly in Baja California, Mexico. A small part of it is in California, United States. This river area has many trees and is home to different kinds of birds, fish, and amphibians. In the past, the plants and animals in the Arroyo Alamar were very important for fishing, bathing, and even getting drinking water.
The river starts where two smaller streams, Cottonwood Creek and Tecate Creek, meet. This meeting point is not far from the border between Mexico and the United States. The Rio Alamar then flows west for about 25 kilometres (16 mi) (16 miles). It goes through the San Ysidro Mountains and the city area of Tijuana. Finally, it joins with the Arroyo de las Palmas in central Tijuana to form the Tijuana River.
The Rio Alamar is a big part of the Tijuana River Watershed, which is an area of land where all the water drains into the Tijuana River. This watershed covers about 1,750 square miles and affects over 1.4 million people. The Tijuana River Estuary, where the river meets the ocean, is considered one of the most important wetlands in the world by the RAMSAR Convention.
The Rio Alamar and the Tijuana River's Watershed are facing big problems because of pollution. Many people are working to clean up the river and make things fair for the communities living nearby. This work is also connected to how cities are planned in the area. Because the river is so close to the United States, pollution problems have led to both countries working together. The pollution and unfair environmental situations in the Rio Alamar are caused by many long-standing issues. These include: rules from different countries, focusing on making money from land instead of protecting nature, pollution from factories, not enough city services in Tijuana, a lot of people moving to the area, and the big border between the U.S. and Mexico.
How Land Use Changes Affected the Environment
The environment around the Arroyo Alamar has changed a lot because it became a place for factories that make goods for export. These factories are called maquiladoras. By the end of the 1900s, many maquiladoras moved to the river's area. They were attracted by low taxes, few environmental rules, and cheap workers in Mexico. This quick growth made the area one of the biggest industrial zones along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The maquiladoras did not care about how the river helped the health of the community. They saw the river as a place where they could easily pollute. This led to illegal dumping of waste, raw sewage, trash, and dirty water runoff. There was also air pollution. This happened because Tijuana did not have good city services and did not enforce environmental rules. Many of the 45,000 people living near the river still work at these factories. They report that polluted water often crosses the streets. Besides harming nature, the people in this area also face health risks and do not have enough basic services. Factory waste water and smog harmed the river and its watershed. This also meant less clean water, poorer water quality, polluted soil, and health dangers for people.
Putting factories in the Arroyo Alamar area instead of important basic services has harmed both nature and the people living there. Besides maquiladoras, other buildings include recycling centers, manufacturing plants, busy roads, and other polluting industries. Waste from homes and factories flows downhill, affecting the Arroyo community unfairly. Uneven building and zoning (rules about how land can be used) have meant that some areas do not have enough parks, safe sidewalks, or green spaces. There are 37 empty lots without trash pickup that are now used for dumping old tires, car parts, and other junk. This area is a hotspot for industrial activity, with 39,217 people, but it only has 8 parks and no libraries. Families living in the Alamar area used to benefit from the river's natural habitat before its plants, animals, water supply, and water quality were damaged.
Mexican government agencies started studying the Alamar stream's water flow and flooding in 1993. Based on these studies, the city council of Tijuana suggested a plan to manage the Arroyo Alamar's water flow in an eco-friendly way. This plan aimed to create a linear park along the river. The first plan included protecting the river's natural water functions, its natural features, and its plants and animals. It also aimed to help underground water supplies, improve water quality, create recreation areas, and prevent floods. These natural benefits are very important for the communities living along the 10.5 km (6.5 miles) section of the river.
Because the Arroyo Alamar is near the U.S. border, both Mexico and the U.S. worked together on studies. These studies looked at how important it was to protect the river. Some studies included "Flood Hydrology of the Binational Cottonwood Creek-Arroyo Alamar, California and Baja California" (2001) and "Hydroecological Characterization of Arroyo Alamar, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico" (2004). These studies helped figure out how to design the river to be eco-friendly and manage flood risks.
In 2002, the government of Baja California published rules for how land could be used in the Alamar area. These rules supported the need to control land use in the Arroyo. The city of Tijuana became even more aware of the Arroyo's problems after heavy rains in February 2004. Now, authorities say the Alamar area is likely to flood due to mudslides and fast-moving water. More than 250 families living near the stream had to be moved for their safety.
A project called "Sustainable Architecture of Arroyo Alamar, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico" (2005) suggested building a linear park. This park would help reduce flood risks, protect the river's ability to refill underground water, and lessen environmental harm to the river area and nearby homes. By 2007, a plan for the Otay Mesa Binational Corridor was approved. This plan included recommendations to create conservation areas, especially in the Arroyo Alamar. The city's planning agency was then asked to study the environmental impact of the eco-friendly river design. The project to restore the Arroyo with sustainable river architecture was finally approved in 2009. This project planned for restoration, recreation areas, and permeable walls and bottoms that would help filter water naturally. This sustainable city development aimed to restore floodplains and protect the river's natural habitat while also preventing floods and refilling underground water.
However, there was a sudden change. The state of Baja California released a new environmental report that chose concrete channelization instead of restoration. This meant no green spaces, trees, parks, or basketball courts that were part of the more expensive eco-friendly project. Building only concrete channels can destroy habitats, endanger species, cause loss of surface and underground water, increase erosion, make pollution worse, and lead to more local floods. The concrete channelization plan made more money for the city and state. So, against the wishes of environmental groups, both countries, and the community, the eco-friendly plan was dropped, and concrete construction began in 2011.
The government gave over $4.1 million to construction companies for the concrete channelization. This choice was met with protests because one of the companies had lawsuits about poor work quality. The government was also criticized for not listening to local residents and limiting local influence on federal decisions. Two-thirds of the concrete channelization has been built. The government claims it will reduce flooding and stop illegal building along the river.
The Arroyo Alamar also faced problems when the concrete channelization plan led to land struggles. Government land in the Arroyo was taken over and resold as valuable real estate after the riverbed was filled with trash. Investors and developers paid to dump trash, which helped them claim land ownership. This profitable business further polluted the environment and made city-approved cleanup efforts harder. A superhighway along the channel is also expected to increase land value by 20 times when it is built.
Community Efforts for Environmental Justice
For almost two decades, the Alamar Zone has been a place where people have worked hard for environmental justice, conservation, and community planning. In November 2005, different neighborhoods in the Arroyo Alamar joined with Tijuana's Human Rights office. They spoke up about the health risks people faced because of the river's pollution. This citizen movement brought attention to cases of serious illnesses in the Arroyo area. These illnesses were caused by industrial pollution and a lack of basic services.
To fix the environmental and social problems in the Arroyo, it is important for the community to be involved in decisions about the environment. This means having a "place at the table" in the planning agency's management plan for the Arroyo. Addressing environmental and health risks in the Arroyo through fair environmental management has led to collaborations between local groups and groups from both countries. The idea of sustainable river architecture in the city planning project has also been very important.
When looking at how cities and the environment are managed in the Arroyo, three things are key:
- People and organized groups taking part.
- Different levels of government working together.
- Different groups that affect the project.
It was often hard for the city of Tijuana to connect with people in disadvantaged communities. This meant that important community members were not included in decisions about the Arroyo. Key reasons why people could not participate included: not enough time, knowledge, money, political influence, or belief that their actions would make a difference. Another barrier was that marginalized groups often had to choose between attending meetings and meeting their daily needs.
To help local communities get involved, it is important to understand what stops them from participating. This means reaching out to everyone, even those who do not have much social or political power. When people are truly listened to, their local knowledge is valued in decisions that affect their environment. Promoting real and inclusive conversations makes sure that a project's goals and actions come from community input. This process helps close participation gaps and recognizes local concerns. When more people are involved in decision-making, it leads to better plans and results for the environment.
A fair approach to city and environmental management has been central to environmental justice efforts. This is because creating urban and environmental actions with an inclusive framework tries to balance environmental laws, benefits for society, and financial interests. In 2012, several community groups asked for a stop to the concrete channelization work on the Alamar stream. They wanted a more eco-friendly and sustainable option. Because of problems, the concrete channelization work was stopped that same year. From then on, groups from both countries and local communities worked together on an integrated plan for the Arroyo.
Meetings were held regularly between different levels of government and these community groups to agree on an eco-friendly approach for the river. The ideas and suggestions from various groups during the Arroyo Alamar Technical Board's (MTAA) work created a strong foundation for citizen participation. This helped define the area for environmental protection and restoration. It showed that citizens felt a sense of ownership and highlighted how important it was to protect natural spaces and ecosystems.
On November 23, 2014, the "Mesa Técnica del Arroyo Alamar (MTAA)" was officially formed. This group was a place for people to participate, analyze information, and work together. Its goal was to agree on a project to finish the Arroyo el Alamar channelization, bringing together everyone's efforts. On December 10, the MTAA formally worked with the government. The government promised money for this purpose. Later, on July 6, 2015, an Eco-hydrological Project proposal for the river was submitted.
Another way for the community to participate in the city planning for the Arroyo was through mapping projects. One important project was the 'Mapping Project for the Alamar Zone' in 2015. Its goal was to help the community get involved in the city planning process for the Arroyo in Tijuana. The information from this project greatly influenced land use planning. It showed important environmental risks and valuable areas to protect in zoning decisions. Connections were also made between residents and government representatives. This combining of government-citizen relationships and sharing knowledge helped empower the community, leading to better land use decisions and the protection of health and nature.
Community participation in the Arroyo's city planning has been a valuable part of environmental justice efforts. More citizen support and political will also help balance the Arroyo Alamar's role in society with city life. This is important for creating short and long-term solutions to protect community health, improve quality of life, upgrade city services, and reduce the impact of industrial processes in the Arroyo.
In 2016, community groups started new discussions. They worked on a technical study for the Arroyo. This study was the first step toward officially declaring the area in the stream for riparian forest conservation. Throughout 2018 and early 2019, the community groups continued their efforts. They met with city planning directors to get support for declaring the Alamar stream a conservation area.
In 2020, the community groups organized meetings and field trips in the stream area. They met with city council members and directors from the city planning and environmental protection departments. In October 2020, a technical group was formed to move forward with the conservation area declaration. This group aimed to ensure the declaration was completed, approved, and published. A total of twenty meetings were held throughout 2020-2021. Community groups, city council members, and environmental protection departments worked together to manage different parts of the declaration process.
See also
In Spanish: Arroyo Alamar para niños
