SAN DIEGO — Several federal officials and California congressional members gathered in San Diego to announce the long-awaited expansion and rehabilitation of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant near the U.S.- Mexico border to help minimize the cross-border sewage that has caused an environmental health crisis for people living and visiting near the border.
This project plans to use $400 million in federal funding that the San Diego Congressional delegation secured to double the facility's capacity and with the updates made in Mexico, hope to prevent up to 90% of untreated wastewater from reaching the coast.
The commissioner of the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), Dr. Maria-Elena Griner was joined by U.S. Representatives Juan Vargas (CA-52), Scott Peters (CA-50), and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) among others for the announcement that work will begin on the plant this year.
According to a release by the USIBWC, the project will start this year and include setting up a bypass system for the headworks and grit facilities to perform an in-depth structural assessment of existing concrete structures and will be followed with concrete repairs in 2025.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom was in San Diego and joined San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas to discuss the ongoing Tijuana River Valley pollution crisis.
The governor attended a briefing that also included an update on the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, the facility which has been blamed partially by county leaders for the sewage outflow at the border.
"Pollution in the Tijuana River Valley is the number one environmental health crisis impacting our region, and Governor Newsom coming to San Diego for today's briefing shows his steadfast commitment to our communities," Vargas said in a statement. "I have said time and again that the only way we will solve this crisis is by working together. Our collaboration with Governor Newsom, as well as our federal partners, is critically important.
Untreated wastewater from Mexico's Tijuana River crosses the border into the United States and washes out to sea just south of Imperial Beach. The bacterial buildup from the raw sewage in the wastewater has necessitated the closure of South Bay beaches almost without interruption for three years.
The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant has had major issues in recent years, local leaders say, and needs more than $150 million in repairs before expansion can be started to treat the pollution.
WATCH: Full press conference announcement on Tuesday: