{"id":770429,"date":"2026-01-11T19:59:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=770429"},"modified":"2026-01-09T15:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:52:36","slug":"cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river","title":{"rendered":"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10412,1041,422802],"tags":[425592,163382,197122,1681,385872],"arcnews_issues":[493311],"class_list":["post-770429","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcgis-pro","category-collaboration","category-conservation","tag-arcgis-experience-builder","tag-arcgis-online","tag-nonprofit","tag-pollution","tag-rivers","arcnews_issues-winter-2026","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The Tijuana River travels for more than 120 miles through Mexico before crossing into the United States at the Tijuana River Estuary and flowing into the Pacific Ocean.\r\n\r\nToxic waste and raw sewage have polluted the estuary and adjacent beaches for decades. This is the result of failing treatment systems and poor sewage and industrial waste disposal in Tijuana. The American Rivers foundation estimates that the quantity of discharged effluent is 35\u201350 million gallons per day. It lists the Tijuana River as one of the most endangered rivers in the United States.\r\n\r\nThe population of Tijuana is about 2.3 million, while north of the border lies San Diego, California, with nearly 1.4 million residents. The health and quality of life for these 3.7 million people are directly impacted by this on-going toxic discharge.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why several organizations have come together and employed advanced GIS to identify key issues along the river and prioritize sustainable interventions that have a good chance of being funded. They\u2019ve also created a GIS-powered app to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions and share information with stakeholders and the public.\r\n\r\nAltogether, it\u2019s a novel way to approach environmental risks that span international borders."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":770430,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Organizations with Similar Goals Come Together<\/h2>\r\nIn 2024, the San Diego\/Tijuana region was the first-ever cross-border area to be designated the World Design Capital (WDC) by the World Design Organization, an international nongovernmental organization that promotes using industrial design to support a sustainable environment and an engaged society. This region\u2019s appointment as WDC 2024 sparked dialogue and surfaced shared priorities for addressing the Tijuana River\u2019s environmental and economic challenges.\r\n\r\nArup, a global multidisciplinary consulting firm with deep expertise in digital and geospatial analysis, was invited to participate in the WDC 2024 Climate and Sustainability design-to-action network, where staff helped vet and support various projects tied to the yearlong designation. It was through this opportunity that they were connected to two regional organizations\u2014Iniciativa R\u00edo Tijuana Asociaci\u00f3n Civil (A.C.) and 4 Walls International\u2014both with similar goals.\r\n\r\nTijuana-based Iniciativa R\u00edo Tijuana A.C. promoted the concept of the Tijuana River Index (TRI), an interactive platform to analyze the various issues facing the Tijuana River and identify potential areas for sustainable interventions. Similarly, San Diego-based nonprofit 4 Walls International was looking for a way to better understand project opportunities that could be prioritized for funding.\r\n\r\nTo facilitate the development of the TRI, Arup, 4 Walls International, World Design Capital, and Iniciativa R\u00edo Tijuana A.C. formed an alliance to leverage their collective expertise and address the persistent environmental and public health issues resulting from pollution in the river.\r\n\r\n\u201cEach organization in the alliance plays a unique and vital role in developing the TRI,\u201d said Waylon Matson, cofounder of 4 Walls International. \u201cArup contributed engineering and technical expertise, 4 Walls International brought community-based design experience. World Design Capital supported the initiative through marketing and events. And Iniciativa R\u00edo Tijuana A.C. provided perspectives from those directly impacted by watershed conditions.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Developing and Evaluating Priority Interventions<\/h2>\r\nThe team conducted a workshop with community members and nonprofit leaders from both sides of the United States-Mexico border and identified five priority interventions: waste cleanup, erosion reduction, revegetation and reforestation, access to green space, and decentralized wastewater treatment.\r\n\r\nFrom there, the team used the Generate Tessellations tool in ArcGIS Pro to develop a hexagon grid that gives stakeholders a uniform way to examine the entire watershed and pinpoint where to implement these potential interventions. Hexagons were assigned an index score from zero to one for each of the five priority interventions, resulting in a total possible score of five for each hexagon. The higher the score, the higher the need for intervention in that area.\r\n\r\nThese scores were calculated using datasets processed with FME from Esri partner Safe Software in ArcGIS. The team used ArcGIS Pro to examine the data outputs and stage it before publishing it to ArcGIS Online. Then, they used ArcGIS Experience Builder to create the TRI app<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe app provides users with a seamless interface to view the TRI hexagon scores and their associated priority interventions for different areas of the watershed."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":770431,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cSeveral supplementary datasets and a methodology page were included to provide clarity on how the index and scores were calculated,\u201d said Gabriella Marquez, geospatial analyst at Arup and the TRI geospatial lead. \u201cA data sources page was included to point the user towards more information on the underlying datasets, and all the data shown in the tool is also available to download.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe team obtained authoritative datasets through Mexico\u2019s National Institute of Statistics and Geography and the country\u2019s National Water Commission. The San Diego Association of Governments and the California Open Data Portal also provided data for the project."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

How Success Is Measured<\/h2>\r\nThe TRI hexagon scores help prioritize interventions in the five selected areas that critically impact water quality. The highest scores identify the highest-priority areas within the watershed where projects could be carried out. The designated interventions are currently in various stages of implementation.\r\n\r\nThis helps the team apply a stochastic, or randomly determined, hydro-financial modeling framework to the systems that are most critical to transboundary pollution.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe framework combines environmental modeling with financial forecasting,\u201d said Matson. \u201cBy modeling intervention outcomes and associated climatic uncertainties\u2014such as wet years, dry years, and periods of economic uncertainty\u2014the model helps predict potential outcomes under various conditions. This promotes more informed decision-making and allows stakeholders to quantify potential cost savings and performance outcomes.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe model prioritizes upstream and downstream intervention strategies that are high impact and likely to succeed, aligning investor returns with environmental outcomes. This is an approach to conservation financing in which success is measured based on the outcomes of the interventions.\r\n\r\n\u201cLet\u2019s say you plant vegetation on hillsides or reinforce a river channel upstream, which are both designated interventions. The model tells you how likely it is that those actions will reduce pollution downstream,\u201d Matson explained.\r\n\r\nThat prediction is used to develop an Environmental Impact Bond (EIB) structure, where investors get a bonus if the project performs well based on monitoring data. If the project doesn\u2019t meet its goals, investors may get less money back.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe EIB provides a measurable return on investment,\u201d said Matson. \u201cThis makes investors more comfortable taking part in environmental projects and helps communities invest in solutions that are more likely to succeed.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Expanding Collaboration to Reveal New Opportunities<\/h2>\r\nThe team plans to further develop the capabilities of the TRI by including additional data collected by universities, nonprofit organizations, and others. This will depict a more accurate picture of the river\u2019s evolving condition and uncover more opportunities for remediation.\r\n\r\nThe TRI also provides a location to host data that has historically been siloed\u2014in some cases, on two sides of an international border. This will facilitate additional interventions and project development from organizations working the length of the river.\r\n\r\nTo learn more about or support the TRI, email Marquez at Gabriella.Marquez@arup.com<\/a> or Matson at waylonmatson@4wallsintl.org<\/a>."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nCross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/arcnews-banner-crossborder-wide.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/arcnews-banner-crossborder-wide.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river\",\n\t \"name\": \"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-12T03:59:23+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"ArcNews Articles\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/41c803b2ea8734c36f9c4e9586d1449d\",\n\t \"name\": \"Amy Ambard\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Amy Ambard\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews","description":"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews","og_description":"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/arcnews-banner-crossborder-wide.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews","twitter_description":"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/arcnews-banner-crossborder-wide.jpg","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river","name":"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River | Winter 2026 | ArcNews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-12T03:59:23+00:00","description":"Using advanced GIS, several organizations are identifying key issues along the river and prioritizing sustainable interventions for funding.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/cross-border-collaboration-aims-to-heal-the-tijuana-river#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ArcNews Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Cross-Border Collaboration Aims to Heal the Tijuana River"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/41c803b2ea8734c36f9c4e9586d1449d","name":"Amy Ambard","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Amy Ambard"},"url":""}]}},"sort_order":"13","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews\/770429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/arcnews"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews\/770429\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770429"},{"taxonomy":"arcnews_issues","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews_issues?post=770429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}