SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A mass action lawsuit filed Tuesday by San Diego Attorney Brett Schreiber represents close to a dozen Imperial Beach residents who say their lives have been impacted by the ongoing sewage crisis.   Schrieber says he expects that number to grow well into the thousands. He’s accusing Veolia North America of negligence and recklessness. CDC visiting random South Bay homes Oct. 17-19 for health survey on Tijuana sewage crisis “Despite having received millions of dollars from the federal government, Veolia has failed to prevent the pollution in our community,” said attorney Brett Schrieber during a press conference Tuesday. “We believe this catastrophe should have been prevented had Veolia had done their job.” Schrieber claims since 2018 there have been more than 500 instances of illegal discharging from the plant Veolia manages on the San Ysidro side of the border, and he’s using California nuisance law to instigate change. Residents demand action to address sewage crisis in South Bay “There is power when the people lock arms and stand up together. We hope to use California nuisance law, which stands for if you have interference of use and enjoyment of your property you have a claim in California. We want to use that to get bad actors to change their behavior,” Schreiber said. In statement, Veiola said: “We are currently reviewing this complaint, but we can already state that these allegations are meritless. Veolia North America has done its best to help operate the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances. The overwhelming cause of the odors and pollution affecting Imperial Beach is the excessive and uncontrolled sewage flows from Tijuana, much of which never even enters the South Bay plant.” 100 affordable rental apartments for low-income seniors open in San Ysidro “In the last 15 years, the population of Tijuana has grown nearly 30%, and infrastructure in the city has not kept pace. This plant was not built to endure these conditions: the uncontrolled flows of wastewater and the damage from mud and debris have overwhelmed the capacity of the plant and impacted its performance. This situation needs to be improved with stronger cross-border collaboration and holistic problem-solving at the local, state and federal levels.” Meantime County Supervisor, Terra Lawson-Remer saying she plans to introduce a police Tuesday to the board of supervisors allowing them to explore their own lawsuits. “I have been assaulted and criminally trespassed on when I can’t take my grandson to the beach,” said Baron Partlow, an Imperial Beach resident represented in Schreiber’s lawsuit.