U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to San Diego on April 21 pressing for solutions for cross-border sewage contamination from Tijuana.
He did not immediately come away with an agreement, but said the United States is urging Mexico to accept a list of unspecified plans that would end the flow of wastewater onto south San Diego beaches – and the health hazards that result.
“I am not going to stand before you right now and sugarcoat that smell and tell you that the situation as it relates to public health in the environment – which is the core mission of EPA – that this is a situation that can be tolerated,” Zeldin said when asked about odors in the Tijuana River Valley.
Zeldin, alongside elected officials, held a press conference announcing the potential rollout of a mutual U.S.-Mexico statement on updated plans to address the cross border crisis.
He said the statement is expected to be finalized in the days or weeks following his visit. As of April 27, the statement was not released. According to Zeldin, it will include a comprehensive list of things that U.S. stakeholders consider necessary to end the crisis.
But Mexico has to agree.
“We cannot view this as a U.S. problem just because their [Mexico’s] contamination reached U.S. soil,” Zeldin said. “We need Mexico to not just commit to all the projects that will stop the flow but, in order to actually finish this project, they’re gonna need to commit to that final clean up.”
On April 21, Zeldin spoke with Mexico leaders. The approximately 90-minute meeting was led by Mexico’s environmental secretary, Alicia Bárcena, he said.
On April 22, Zeldin toured the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, joined by Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, and participated in a roundtable discussion with community leaders, including Coronado Mayor John Duncan and Chula Vista Mayor John McCann. A helicopter tour of the U.S. Southern border and a meeting with Navy SEALs followed.
Earlier this year, the Department of Defense’s inspector general reported that Coronado’s sewage-polluted waters sickened Navy SEAL trainees.
“We look forward to in the hours to follow, not years … (to) finalize a complete list,” said Zeldin. “Mexico is either going to agree on it or they’re not … and then we’ll go from there in terms of strategy and tactics.”
Zeldin’s visit occurred just days after Maria-Elena Giner resigned as head of the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) – the agency responsible for solving the Tijuana sewage problem.
The Trump administration replaced Giner, who put in motion a $650 million plan to repair and expand cross-border sewage treatment, with William “Chad” McIntosh, who previously served as Zeldin’s acting deputy administrator.
Binational meeting
Zeldin said he is committed to stress testing every single project and every timeline. He said Mexico needs to increase the number of projects on their part to ensure solutions.
“It was actually very helpful in identifying a couple of other projects that are needed that aren’t on the current list of Mexican-side projects,” said Zeldin about his tour to the U.S. plant. “As was pointed out, (if) you do everything that’s currently on the list but you still have the flow into Tijuana River, well, the beaches are still gonna remain closed.”
Zeldin said he proposed several considerations for Mexican officials.
“We were also emphasizing the need that Mexico factors in population growth in Tijuana to ensure that if we get to the end of that current list … years from now we’re not back sitting on a table again because ‘Oh, we forgot to anticipate the factor of population growth,’ and we’re right back to where we are today,” he said.
One key in Mexico involves the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant, about six miles south of Tijuana. The plant had been defunct for years, allowing untreated sewage into the ocean. It was repaired recently, and reportedly is back in operation. EPA employees confirming it is in working order was a topic discussed, according to Zeldin.
“We want to ensure that this statement is informing the public on specifics so that they don’t have to take anyone else’s word for it, they can read directly with the Mexican government signing off,” said Zeldin.
Emily Allen, the IBWC’s area operations manager, said in a community forum on April 23 that Mexico is finishing up stabilization of its completed plant, which treats 18 million gallons per day. She said the Mexican Army, which oversaw the plant’s construction, is turning over management to a local agency, the Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana (CESPT), Baja California’s Public Services Commission in Tijuana, next month.
Meanwhile, the International Collector, the main sewer system for Tijuana, is an ongoing project.
“We meet with Mexico constantly to make sure every step of the way in the project, they don’t cause additional spillage, additional flow into the river,” said Allen.
Before Zeldin was named administrator in January, the EPA denied requests by local officials asking the agency to designate the Tijuana River Valley as a Superfund site. EPA leaders reiterated that decision in a March 14 letter addressed to Aguirre.
Officials who attended the roundtable discussion with Zeldin said talk of a Superfund was only briefly brought up and could be on the list. Zeldin did not address that issue during the news conference.
Zeldin also did not mention McIntosh replacing Giner.
“The last two years, [Giner] made major strides. We’ve had groundbreaking on the expansion. We finally fixed the old plant, and she helped give me information to get the construction budget raised,” said Duncan. “[McIntosh] knows this issue, … so I’m excited about the future.”
The list of necessary projects has not yet been released pending more discussion between both countries. Zeldin said U.S. and Mexico commissioners for the IBWC will meet in addition to the North American Development Bank board to talk through projects and timelines on the Mexican and U.S. sides.
“It feels like it’s being treated as an emergency now,” said Duncan.
San Diego’s congressional delegation has secured $653 million to repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“The [Trump] administration was not inclined to support one penny more from the federal government until Mexico designates the funds needed to complete the projects that they agreed to in the treaty with them, known as their Minute 328 allocations,” Representative Scott Peters, D-California, said at a community forum presented by Coronado High School’s Stop the Sewage Club on April 23.
Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, associate professor in SDSU’s School of Public Health, urged attendees at the community forum to participate in an ongoing community health survey.
Granados said data from the more than 372 survey participants show that 77% have upper respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal conditions like diarrhea, 22% have missed work, others have headaches, difficulty concentrating and trouble sleeping.
“A lot of people from Imperial Beach have filled this out,” she said. “We definitely need Coronado’s perspective on this as well.”
The survey is intended to identify health issues linked to environmental conditions in the communities impacted by the crisis from resident experiences and concerns about the quality of air and water with the goal of aiding research that could lead to improvements in public health and the environment, according to the project’s website.
“Your voices matter in the fight, your persistence, your advocacy, and your engagement are the reason why we’ve been able to make this progress and the reason we will get this done,” added Peters in remarks shared by his staff.
Correction: A previous version of our story failed to mention that Chula Vista Mayor John McCann attended the roundtable discussion. The story has been updated to reflect those changes.
