Tijuana River cleanup continues thanks to bipartisan efforts

from Deborah BrennanCalMatters

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The United States and Mexico are accelerating plans to clean up the Tijuana River and considering interim steps to protect public health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said at a meeting in San Diego with local leaders and members of Congress on Thursday.

“This is a nonpartisan, bipartisan effort to work together for a very common important good for millions of Americans who have been waiting decades for this relief,” Zeldin said.

Sewage pollution from the transboundary river has plagued Imperial Beach, Coronado and other parts of south San Diego County for decades, repulsing swimmers and surfers, forcing local beach closures and endangering Navy Seals who train in Coronado.

As Tijuana’s population grows and treatment plants on both sides of the border fail, hundreds of millions of gallons of dirty sewage pour into the ocean. The polluted river also releases airborne chemicals, including a foul-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas that causes respiratory problems and other diseases among people in neighboring communities.

After decades of neglect and worsening pollution, Mexican and U.S. officials recently took steps toward a solution. Last year, the countries signed two more agreements that outline the infrastructure improvements needed to control pollution. The the federal government committed $653 million to the problem, said Representative Scott Peters, D-San Diego, who called the Tijuana River pollution “America’s greatest environmental disaster.”

Despite President Donald Trump’s cuts to other federal programs and his conflicts with California, money continues to flow to clean up the Tijuana River. Democrats and Republicans who met Thursday said they agreed on the urgency of the problem and the need for investment to solve it.

“You wouldn’t know what party we were all on based on our conversation,” said Congressman Mike Levin, D-San Clemente and Carlsbad. “It’s unusual. It’s refreshing, but I think it’s also necessary to solve a problem of this magnitude.”

This year, the US repaired the damaged South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and expanded its capacity from 25 million to 35 million gallons of wastewater per day. The next phase will increase the plant’s capacity to at least 50 million gallons per day.

In April, Mexico repaired its Punta Bandera plant near the border, reducing the flow of wastewater into the ocean.

Expect more improvements soon, Zeldin said. One project under construction will prevent 5 million gallons a day of sewage from entering the Tijuana River, while another will divert 10 million gallons a day of treated sewage from the river, he said.

“There are several additional projects, half a dozen that I have listed here, scheduled for completion in 2026,” Zeldin said. “Again, we’re monitoring it every week throughout the week. We’re confirming and verifying that this work is progressing.”

Zeldin said he is working to make sure Mexico delivers money it has committed to cleaning up Tijuana River sewers, speeds up infrastructure upgrades and establishes what he called a “permanent 100 solution” to increase wastewater capacity for future growth in Tijuana.

“I’ve been down there and seen actual construction, and now I’m confident that if we continue to put pressure on our partners … we’ll be able to have the reforms we need to keep our beaches open, to keep our Navy SEALs safe,” he said.

Officials acknowledged that improving wastewater treatment facilities will not immediately solve existing health problems caused by chronic air and water pollution, and said more funding is needed to keep the facilities in working order.

San Diego County distributed air purifiers to households near the Tijuana River, launched a health study on its effects and sought funds to repair a site known as the Saturn Boulevard hotspot, where culverts dump polluted river water to release toxins into the air.

Zeldin said public health solutions are not part of the current package, but said he would be happy to add them if Congress appropriates money for that purpose. Levin, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, said he will seek input from local stakeholders on health care needs in communities near the Tijuana River.

“I am very open to any proposals regarding federal appropriations to address not only the ongoing public health crisis, but also the damage done over the years,” Levin said.

Levin said he would also seek money to maintain and operate the expanded treatment plants. The initial designs covered construction costs but not running costs, which ultimately left the plants in disrepair, he said.

“We will continue until the problem is solved, until the beaches are open, until our seals can exercise safely, and until our military, border patrol and everyone else in the community has to deal with water and air pollution,” Levin said. “This is critically important to the quality of life for all San Diegans.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.