Thousands of people in the South Bay hope their experience with pollution problems will finally be a call to action for the federal government. More than 2,150 San Diego County residents responded to a federal survey about how pollutants in the Tijuana River Valley have impacted their lives. The Assessment of Chemical Exposures was started by the county in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in October. The goal was to receive feedback from people who live, work or play in south county about how the ongoing sewage pollution crisis has affected them. “It smells like dead fish, sometimes like sewer,” said Imperial Beach resident Gilbert Bautista. “It’s horrible. It’s nasty. Wake up, go to sleep and it smells like poop. It’s horrible,” exclaimed Rebecca Rodriguez, an Imperial Beach resident. For the past month, people who live, work and play near the Tijuana River Valley and the South Bay, have been asked to chronicle their experiences on the online survey. Dr. Seema Shah, the interim deputy public health officer, says although the results of the survey won’t be available until early next year, they hope it will help give leaders the ammunition they need to advocate for change. “We already know that people’s quality of life has been severely impacted. By us being able to put numbers to that and sharing that with our federal officials and saying, ‘This is a problem that needs to be fixed with urgency,'” said Dr. Shah. Shah says the survey data could also spur more help from the local government.  “Whether it’s mental health resources, or if there’s parts of this that we need to do with preparedness or information sharing, communication, there’s a lot there that we can do here at the local level as well.” Some residents like Rebecca Rodriguez remain skeptical, as they continue worrying about their family’s health. “Their lungs, breathing system. We’ve been living here for years and nothing has been done.” Rodriguez and others say they’re tired of talk. They hope the survey, whose results should be released early in 2025, will spark action.