Wastewater flows are addressed in a $630 million plan recently announced by the EPA from the Tijuana river. This plan aims to install a pumping system in the Tijuana River north of the U.S-Mexico Border that will filter out chemicals. Nearly half of those funds will be allocated to tackling those issues and it’s slated to be applied in late 2022 according to Regan. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hopes to break ground on the project by 2023.
At a press conference at the U.S Consulate in Tijuana, Regan said “Pollution knows no boundaries, and the friendship between San Diego and Tijuana knows no boundaries”. The Mexican government invested $46 million to work on the border water treatment plant and other infrastructure according to Roberto Velasco Álvarez, officer for the North American Unit at the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations.
Mexico's state and federal authorities completed water sanitation projects between 2019 to 2021 for the Tijuana River, including the recent upgrades to Pump Station CILA in Tijuana, and numerous infrastructure repair projects to reduce wastewater flows financed by CONAGUA and EPA.
Officials from both delegations agreed reducing pollution is a priority and will continue to work alongside bi-national agencies to achieve their goal. These efforts aim to deliver reliable wastewater treatment for over 500,000 Tijuana residents and benefit thousands of residents and tourists in San Diego County. The ultimate goal is to significantly reduce the flow of untreated wastewater impacting both U.S. and Mexican communities and ecosystems within a drought-prone region.
Plans to further coordinate on projects and funding sources are underway. Specifically, projects related to wastewater collection, wastewater reuse from la Morita and Arturo Herrera Wastewater Treatment plants, and the rehabilitation of the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant to handle wastewater from coastal communities.
