Governor helps secure $250 million to help fix the Tijuana River sewage crisis

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that the state had secured millions in additional funds to address the ongoing Tijuana River sewage crisis that has polluted the coast in San Diego County.

The governor said President Biden had signed a federal funding bill allocating $250 million to repair and expand an exiting wastewater treatment plant in San Diego, one of two facilities that lack capacity to treat billions of gallons of sewage and industrial wastewater that flows from the Tijuana River.

The outflow of untreated sewage into California’s coastal waters has created environmental, health and economic problems for residents living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Newsom said the funds will aid in repairing and expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, a project that is already underway but will take five years to complete.

Earlier this year, Mexico also broke ground on construction of a new $33-million wastewater plant to replace the ailing San Antonio de los Buenos facility in Baja, which officials say has been releasing millions of gallons of untreated sewage daily into the Pacific Ocean, causing beach closures in the region and bad air quality due to stagnant sewage water and contaminated and decaying organic material.

Signs in 2018 warn of contaminated water at Imperial Beach, Calif.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Imperial Beach officials said the stench and contaminated beaches has caused tourism to decline from 2.1 million visitors in 2018 to less than 700,000 in 2023. Last month, the Chula Vista City Council issued a local state of emergency due to the crisis.

The California Coastal Commission said the wastewater treatment infrastructure on both sides of the border has been deteriorating and can’t adequately collect and treat the roughly 35 billion to 70 billion gallons of sewage and wastewater that flows annually from the city of Tijuana.

Local, state and federal officials say deferred maintenance, disinvestment and poor management have also contributed to the poor conditions of the facilities.

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“For far too long, communities in the Tijuana River Valley have borne the brunt of this cross-border pollution crisis,” Newsom said in a written statement. “Today’s funding marks a long-term turning point — we are delivering the resources needed to protect public health, restore our beaches, and give residents the clean air and water they deserve.”

So far, $703 million in federal funding have been allocated to address the decades-long crisis, according to the governor’s office. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency received about $350 million to fund improvements to the San Diego wastewater plant.

In October, San Diego County said it would purchase and distribute $2.7 million worth of air purifiers for residents, which will be reimbursed by the state.

Since 2019, California has also allocated $35 million in state funding to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley, including half a dozen cleanup and restoration projects.