Today, U.S. Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) joined U.S. Representatives Juan Vargas (CA-52), and Sara Jacobs (CA-51), U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard R. Verma, International Boundary Water Commission Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner, and other state and federal officials for a briefing and a tour of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP).

The visit follows the Representatives’ request last year for a high-level State Department visit and the award last week of an initial contract to commence planning, design, and construction work on the broken plant.

They were joined on the tour by California EPA Secretary Yana Garcia, U.S. EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman, U.S. Consul General in Tijuana, Christopher Teal, and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre.

At a press conference following the briefing and tour, Rep. Peters described the efforts he and members of San Diego’s Congressional Delegation have made to fix the broken plant and respond to the suffering of residents of Coronado and the South Bay.

“One of the greatest challenges we’ve had as representatives of San Diego is getting Washington, D.C. to pay attention to serious problems people are facing 3,000 miles away,” said Rep. Peters. “That’s why we appreciate the officials from the State Department and EPA who are here with us today — so that they can experience what San Diegans have endured for decades. To smell the fumes, see the suffering businesses and closed beaches, and understand the environmental disaster we have on our hands.

Rep. Peters continued, “To be clear, it’s taken us far too long to get to this point. Too long to identify the problem. Too long to get the permits we need,” he added. “But thankfully, we’re on a better path today, to the credit of leaders like Commissioner Giner who has been a breath of fresh air and is taking the challenge seriously.”

“Finally we’re moving forward. Finally we see some progress, on this side of the border and on the Mexican side of the border. We’re working together,” said Rep. Vargas. “We’ve got to fix this thing and there’s got to be some urgency to it and that’s why I’m very appreciative of having the Secretary here to look at this issue.”

“Having all of these different people here together working on this issue is pretty revolutionary and a real testament to the seriousness that this administration, this government is taking this problem,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs. “We all here know that this is a crisis and it’s a crisis that’s taken far too long to solve, but we are making more progress now than we have in decades.”

“This is a public health problem, it is an economic problem, it is an international problem. I’m here today on behalf of Secretary Blinken to make sure people understand how seriously we take this challenge,” said Secretary Verma.

Commissioner Giner said she expects the plant to comply with its federal Clean Water Act permit within 45 days. SBIWTP’s full rehabilitation and expansion is expected to take years, but Giner said South Bay residents will see cleaner air and water well before the work is finished. 

Over the course of the project, the IBWC will use the more than $400 million in federal funding secured by the Congressional delegation to repair and expand the plant.

A full recording of the press conference can be found here.

Pictures and video of the tour attributable to Congressman Peters can be found here.