From Randy Olson: My next project: Tijuana Tide

For the past year, since the completion of Flock of Dodos the standard question has been, "What's next?" I'm finally digging into the next project, which is a small (though possibly eventually large) piece of media about the sad state of affairs in the coastal waters along the border with Mexico in California. Specifically, I'm working with the good folks at Wildcoast (with support from California Sea Grant) on at least a flash slide show about the situation with Imperial Beach. A huge amount of raw sewage from Tijuana flows directly into the Tijuana River, which divides the U.S. and Mexico and dumps directly into the sea. At times of the year coastal currents flow northerly, taking the Tijuana River outflow directly into the waters of Imperial Beach which has some of the best surfing in the area.

And ironically, Imperial Beach is where they have been filming the entire new HBO series, John from Cincinnati (which centers around surfing).

You should hear some of the Imperial Beach surfers stories of filth in the waves. I dare say it's the worst water conditions for surfers in the entire country. Can't imagine any place worse. Last year they had to close the beaches for almost 200 days due to contamination. This new slide show should play like a sequel to the Shifting Baselines in the Surf piece we did with Surfrider two years ago.