Residents collect air pollution data for a UC San Diego study.

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV)– As lawmakers work to find a solution to Imperial Beach’s wastewater problem, residents are doing what they can to gather critical data on the impacts of wastewater.

“It’s everywhere. I hate to say it, but it’s there and I feel like it’s contributing to our headaches and sore throats constantly,” Bobbi Otero said.

Like many others in the South Bay, the smell of sewage has become a part of Oteros’ daily life. While he hopes a solution to fix the problem will be found at the government level, he is doing what he can as a resident to help identify the impact sewage is having on neighborhoods.

Otero agreed to participate in a study organized by the University of California in San Diego.

“I’m excited about the arrival of the UCSD air testing team and I’m very excited to see what numbers they’ll get inside our home,” Otero said.

The University of California, San Diego, says they are monitoring air quality in neighborhoods near the Tijuana River Valley, installing monitors around the city and inside homes.

This equipment collects a variety of data, including the types of particles and gases present in the air.

In addition, a mobile vehicle equipped with instruments to take samples and measure the air directly has been installed. More than 300 people have already signed up to have a monitor at home.

Otero says she is looking forward to receiving the equipment at her home, but is also concerned about what it will reveal.

“I’m nervous about what I’m breathing,” she said. “I don’t know if it can be worse than what we’re breathing, so maybe I’ll have to move and sell my house.”

The monitor will remain at Otero’s home for 3 to 5 days.