WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) celebrated the inclusion of $250 million for repairs and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in the year-end government funding and emergency supplemental spending bill. The funding for the dilapidated plant, which treats polluted water flowing from Mexico, results from Rep. Peters’ years of work to convince his colleagues, congressional leadership, and the President of the urgent need to fix this dilapidated plant. This surge in federal investment will fully fund the repairs and expansion needed to double the wastewater treatment plant’s capacity and combat cross-border pollution that fouls our beaches, sickens San Diegans, hurts our economy, and reduces our military preparedness. The House of Representatives and the Senate will vote on the spending package later this week.

“Just a few months ago, we broke ground on the project to fix and upgrade the broken plant — now we have the money to finish the job,” said Rep. Peters. “San Diegans have been calling on the federal government to put an end to this crisis for years. It is long overdue, and won’t happen overnight, but our community will see the results as these fixes are completed and Mexico also improves its wastewater infrastructure. I will continue our work to monitor and study the health implications of pollution, and I will be zealously monitoring the progress of repairs to ensure we are never in this position again.”

“I’m incredibly glad to see funding for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant included in this package. This critical investment is needed to fully fund the plant’s rehabilitation and expansion project,” said Rep. Juan Vargas. “Toxic sewage pollution in the Tijuana River has hurt our health, our environment, and our economy for too long. It’s unacceptable and our communities need relief. That’s why our Congressional delegation has been fighting for solutions, and for this funding. Thank you to everyone who has joined us in raising their voice about this issue. It’s made a world of difference. There’s more work to do. But this is a big step forward.”

In September, Rep. Peters and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) led a request to congressional leadership for these exact funds to repair and upgrade the SBIWTP in any upcoming disaster relief funding package. These funds build on the $400 million the Congressional delegation has previously secured and include money for unexpected expenses and contingencies.

Further Background:

Representative Peters has, for years, worked to address the cross-border pollution fouling San Diego’s coastal waters, including pushing for additional funding to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP. The following are some recent actions:

2024

1. In January, Rep. Peters took to the House floor to demand that the President’s requested $310 million to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP in any upcoming spending deal.
2. In February, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to ask U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the effects of cross-border pollution on Navy operations.
3. In March, Rep. Peters celebrated the inclusion of $156 million, at his request, for the International Boundary and Water Commission’s (IBWC) construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill. The IBWC is the federal agency tasked with operating and maintaining the SBIWTP.
4. In May, Rep. Peters joined Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) in a bipartisan request for $278 million for the IBWC’s construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill.
5. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant.
6. In September, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to reiterate their call for a federal state of emergency declaration amid high levels of toxic gases.

2023

1. In June, Rep. Peters led a letter with other members of the San Diego Congressional delegation to the governor of Baja California urging accountability for the Mexican government’s commitments to build wastewater treatment infrastructure.
2. In July, members of the San Diego congressional delegation requested that the Environmental Protection Agency assist with directing environmental justice funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to help stop the flow of pollutants and urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to tour the broken plant.
3. Also in July, they sent a letter to President Biden and submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the administration to declare this crisis a federal emergency.
4. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additional funding to confront this crisis. 
5. In September, he proposed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost U.S.- Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program funding. Additionally, he proposed two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost annual construction funding to the USIBWC to $100 million.
6. In October, Rep. Peters led a bipartisan letter to the Department of State demanding a complete account of how the SBIWTP fell into such a severe state of disrepair.
7. In December, he led a letter urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to include President Biden’s $310 million supplemental budget request to repair the SBIWTP in any upcoming funding package.

In 2021, the San Diego Congressional delegation secured $300 million in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to fund an expansion of the SBIWTP from 25 million gallons per day (mgd) to 50 mgd. This funding, in combination with Fiscal Year 2024 funding, has supported the planning, study, and design of projects critical for the rehabilitation and expansion of SBIWTP. However, last year, we learned that significantly more funding is needed to rehabilitate the plant before the IBWC can expand it.

In previous years, Peters and colleagues have secured funding, introduced legislation, called for investigations, and arranged a visit by EPA Administrator Regan in response to the wastewater contamination crisis. 

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