The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (IBWC), has announced an agreement to construct sanitation projects in San Diego and Tijuana to address wastewater flow and discharge.
The agreement is titled IBWC Minute No. 328, “Sanitation Infrastructure Projects in San Diego, California – Tijuana, Baja California for Immediate Implementation and for Future Development.” It outlines sanitation projects to be constructed in San Diego and Tijuana using $330 million dollars from the U.S. government and $144 million dollars from the Mexican government.
With this funding, projects are expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2027 that would result in a 50 percent reduction in the number of days of transboundary wastewater flow in the Tijuana River and an 80 percent reduction in the volume of untreated wastewater discharged to the Pacific Ocean six miles (10 kilometers) south of the border.
U.S. Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner and Mexican Commissioner Adriana Resendez announced the Minute’s entry into force at a ceremony at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach, Calif. They were joined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Bruno Pigott, EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman, and Director of Engineering and Binational Water Issues for Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) Jose Gutierrez, who marked the signing of a Statement of Intent between their two agencies to advance priority wastewater projects in the San Diego-Tijuana Region.
The agreement highlights a list of projects for implementation, including doubling the capacity of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in the United States and constructing a new treatment plant in Mexico at San Antonio de los Buenos. With these two projects, the amount of Mexican sewage undergoing treatment in the region will increase by 43 million gallons per day (2,991 liters per second), reducing sewage in both the Tijuana River and the Pacific Ocean. Other projects include rehabilitation or replacement of deteriorated sewer lines and pump stations in Tijuana to reduce line breaks and pump failures that result in sewage spills.
“Minute 328 marks a key milestone in our effort to improve conditions in the Tijuana River Valley in partnership with EPA,” said Commissioner Giner. “Their Statement of Intent coupled with this Minute will provide continuity over time. Once these projects are completed, residents on both sides of the border will have a healthier, cleaner environment for years to come.”
Mexican Commissioner Adriana Resendez noted, “These efforts are expected to address a need that has prevailed for many years in the communities of San Diego-Tijuana, to solve the problem of transboundary wastewater that impacts the water quality of the region’s beaches and that also constitutes a threat to the public health of residents in the area.”
