SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - A push is underway to stop more sewage spills that have closed South Bay beaches.
A bipartisan effort to rehabilitate the Tijuana River Valley will be announced Monday morning.
U.S. Congressmen Juan Vargas, D-Chula Vista, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista, will hold a news conference -- the Tijuana River Valley Comprehensive Protection and Rehabilitation Act of 2017 -- to protect and rehabilitate the Tijuana River Valley.
It aims to stop the sewage flow into San Diego County from Tijuana.
Back in February, federal officials in the U.S. and Mexico agreed to probe the circumstances behind a large sewage spill south of the international border that fouled the Tijuana River Valley and nearby beaches in southern San Diego County.
U.S. officials estimate that more than 143 million gallons of raw sewage flowed from Mexico into the Pacific Ocean, causing a widespread stench that resulted in numerous complaints.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Mexican officials said the discharge resulted from a project to repair a sewer pipe at the confluence of the Alamar and Tijuana rivers, south of the international border. However, U.S. officials weren't notified about the work.
In an effort to force action on the part of the federal government, the city of Imperial Beach has taken steps to sue the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which tracks trans-boundary spills, due to sections of its shorelines being closed over the years to swimmers.
The congressmen will be touring the affected area on Monday at 10 a.m.
RELATED COVERAGE