As southern San Diego and Coronado continue to suffer from the trash, sewage, chemicals and other wastewater pollution spilling across the border from Baja California, I want to keep you informed of my work to resolve this crisis. In recent years, our public health, local economy and environmental quality have been acutely impacted by this problem.

For decades, San Diego County has experienced occasional transboundary wastewater pollution at the southern border due to inadequate infrastructure in Baja California. The flows drastically increased in February 2017 when 143 million gallons of sewage spilled into San Diego County in a matter of days. Since then, the problem has worsened and contaminated waters as north as Coronado. A combination of geography, aging infrastructure, and a booming population in Tijuana and the greater Baja region have created what I believe is one of the largest environmental catastrophes in the southwest.

Given this history, the latest news on the additional costs to rehabilitate the international treatment plant is crushing. In total, I've helped secure $422 million in federal funds since 2017 to address pollution at the border. However, the costs needed to drastically rehabilitate the South Bay International Treatment Plant were unexpected. Please know that I'm pursuing every possible angle, and leaving no stone unturned to identify and secure additional funds as quickly as possible to keep the solutions identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on track.

 

My Work Following 2017 Spill

• March 1, 2017: Sent a letter with Rep. Juan Vargas to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to alert the spill of over 143 millions of gallons of sewage into the Tijuana River Valley and called for an assessment by the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) and EPA San Diego offices.
• March 6, 2017: Visited Tijuana River sewage spill impact area with local city councilmembers to assess damage.
• March 30, 2017: Led a letter with the San Diego congressional delegation to House Appropriations Committee’s Interior and Environment Subcommittee to avoid budgetary cuts and request funding $5 million for the Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP) in FY 2018.
• June 5, 2017: Sent a letter with San Diego congressional delegation to IBWC to protect Tijuana River Valley communities from contaminants and wastewater discharge.
• September 26, 2017: Co-sponsored the Tijuana River Valley Comprehensive Protection and Rehabilitation Act with Reps. Juan Vargas and Darrell Issa to provide grant funding and develop a plan to update the area’s infrastructure.
• April 24, 2018: Announced $1.17 million EPA grant to address wastewater collectors that failed and caused major sewage spills.
• June 7, 2018: Passed the Water Resources Development Act to direct the Army Corp of Engineers to conduct a study on Tijuana River flood risk management.
• September 26, 2018: Sent a letter to House and Senate majority leaders to support funding for the North American Development Bank (NADB) to finance border water infrastructure projects.

 

Stakeholder Meeting in Imperial Beach (2019)

On August 26, 2019, I participated in a meeting with local and Mexican officials to discuss the North American Development Bank's Tijuana River Diversion Study Report, opportunities for alternative projects through public-private partnerships, and state funding opportunities to tackle this problem.

 

More Work in 2019

• January 18, 2019: Sent a letter with San Diego congressional delegation to Ambassador Gutiérrez of Mexico to request that Mexico make every effort to address the recent sewage spill in Tijuana.
• February 15, 2019: Voted to pass the federal spending bill allocating $15 million in federal funding to EPA for the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program.
• April 29, 2019: Sent a letter to EPA, IBWC, Pentagon, Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to respond to the pollution crisis along the U.S.-Mexico Border.
• July 22, 2019: Introduced the North American Development Bank Pollution Solution Act with Rep. Juan Vargas to expand funding opportunities for sewage spill mitigation efforts.
• July 25, 2019: Voted to pass a spending bill that included $30 million dollars for U.S.-Mexico BWIP.
• September 23, 2019: Secured $3 billion in investments for water infrastructure projects along the U.S.-Mexico border through passage of portion of Pollution Solution Act of 2019. 

 

Securing $300M to Address Pollution at the U.S.-Mexico Border (2020)

After consistent and coordinated advocacy by the San Diego congressional delegation and local elected and community leaders, we celebrated the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in January 2020. The trilateral agreement secured a whopping $300 million to fund EPA grants under the Border Water Infrastructure Program to address sewage pollution on the U.S.-Mexico border.

 

More Work in 2020

• July 24, 2020: Helped the House pass a federal spending package that secured $25 million for U.S.-Mexico BWIP to address the Tijuana River sewage spills and improve public health and the environment.

 

Engaging with EPA Administrator Michael Regan (2021)

On April 29, 2021, I stressed the EPA’s critical role in cleaning up the dire environmental catastrophe in the Tijuana River Valley during a hearing with EPA Administrator Michael Regan. During the hearing, I invited Administrator Regan to travel to San Diego to see this crisis in person.

Four months later, I toured the Tijuana River Valley with Administrator Regan for a first-hand look at the trash and sewage that makes its way to San Diego beaches. This was the first time an EPA Administrator traveled to the region to see the pollution in person. 

 

Binational Meeting at U.S. Consulate in Tijuana (2021)

On November 22, 2021, I joined a meeting of high-ranking U.S. and Mexican officials at the American consulate in Tijuana to fight for solutions to end transboundary water pollution.

 

EPA Signing Ceremony (2022)

On August 8, 2022, I spoke at the signing ceremony for the binding binational agreement that states that both sides of the border will cut the number of transboundary flows in half. The US government legally committed $330 million, an amount which includes USMCA funds secured in 2020, while the Mexican government committed $144 million to achieve this goal.

 

Increased Urgency in 2023

• December 23, 2022: Obtained vital resources in the government funding package to transfer funds to IBWC to contain cross-boundary water pollution, including $36,386,000 for BWIP, to promote better water projects on both sides of the border. 
• June 21, 2023: Led a letter to Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila urging accountability and updated information on infrastructure projects in Mexico to mitigate wastewater pollution. 
• June 26, 2023: Sent a letter with Rep. Juan Vargas and the San Diego congressional delegation urging President Biden to declare a federal state of emergency for the Tijuana River Valley.
• June 30, 2023: Introduced an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) calling on the administration to declare the Tijuana River Valley wastewater contamination a federal emergency.