SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Randy Leach is affectionately known as “Cowboy” by people in the Tijuana River Valley, likely due to his blue jeans, boots and love for horses.
He doesn’t live full-time in the valley but he is a constant presence in the area where he keeps his horse.
He’s also known for his kind nature and friendly demeanor toward everyone, including strangers.
Not too long ago, he invited an entire family and guests celebrating a young lady’s quinceañera onto his property and allowed them to take pictures with the horses and saddles.
“I had the father on a swing with a saddle, everyone had a good time,” said Leach. “I’ve been here for 16 years.”
In those 16 years, Leach has seen many things happen in the valley, but the rain and flooding the last couple of weeks stand out, especially the storm that hit on January 22.
“It was a heavy, heavy rain, and it’s been flooded since then, they have not cleared it out.”
Leach was referring to Hollister Street, a north-south roadway that remains under a lot of standing water.
It is one of two ways to drive in and out of the Tijuana River Valley.
“Everything is muddy. You can’t pass that way,” he said. “We normally drive through it, but it’s spread out … it’s gone so far.”
Many ranches and corrals in the area also remain flooded.
Leach blames years of neglect and the failure to clear out debris, brush and trash from the river bed.
“If the city of the county had cleaned out all the way to the ocean it wouldn’t have been flooded,” he said.
He also worries about the massive amounts of raw sewage from Mexico coming into the Tijuana River Valley on the U.S. side of the border, and says this problem is only getting worse.
“The pollution is a terrible thing,” he said. “What Tijuana is doing to us is very unfortunate, and it comes in over here at Smuggler’s Gulch.”
According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, 14.5 billion gallons of water tainted with raw sewage from Tijuana made its way onto the valley on Jan. 22. The next day it was 845 million gallons.
Leach says he’s concerned about more rain and flooding in the forecast.
And he won’t soon forget the sight of many of his friends and people in the area desperately trying to get their horses away from the rising waters.
“Everyone was headed this way because we’re on higher ground,” he said.
Considering what’s going on, Leach admitted he’s been thinking about moving away and buying a ranch in Montana, Idaho or back home in Wyoming.
“Maybe it’s time to go home,” he said.
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