Bipartisan efforts to bring relief to South Bay communities suffering from the cross-border sewage crisis are underway in Congress.
Rep. Scott Peters, who represents Coronado, introduced legislation in March to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from federal and non-federal entities for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts.
According to Peters, the IBWC currently relies on annual appropriations from Congress or emergency funding to build and maintain its facilities, but legislation that passed in the House of Representatives on June 9 could change that if it garners the same reception in the Senate.
“This provides another funding stream for IBWC to make necessary upgrades and repairs to our wastewater infrastructure without relying on low amounts of annual funding or emergency relief,” said Peters about his bill, H.R. 1948, in an email.
The federal government already has earmarked a total of $650 million for the IBWC. This amount covers the repair and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, a U.S. facility that treats cross-border sewage from Tijuana.
In February, Coronado Mayor John Duncan authored a letter of support on behalf of the city expressing support for Peters’ bill, saying it could enhance collaboration across agencies and governments, “enabling strategic investment and long-term solutions.”
The letter also says additional funding enables flexibility for future projects along the U.S.-Mexico border and in the Tijuana River Valley beyond the treatment plant, enhancing water quality for the region.
“Our community will benefit immensely from a comprehensive, long term planning and funding effort to remediate the ongoing environmental and health crisis at our southern border,” said Duncan, reiterating the city’s support, in a statement on July 17. “Importantly, this legislation would not cost the federal government any money and would help bring additional projects to fruition. I hope all members of Congress join to support this important legislation.”
Coronado will not provide funding to the IBWC in the foreseeable future, Duncan added.
Peters’ legislation places a $5 million cap for how much each entity could transfer. The representative did not provide examples of projects that could be completed with the additional funds.
Peters did not respond on deadline with details about who or what prompted him to spearhead a bill to secure additional funding for sewage crisis projects. The representative also did not address whether he knew of any agencies that would transfer funds to make a difference
“Our office continues to pursue multiple avenues to achieve passage of this bill and bring more relief to the region,” he said.
On June 11, Sen. Alex Padilla introduced a bill, S.2034, that also calls for authorizing the IBWC to accept funds for activities relating to wastewater treatment and flood control.
Both bills outline that the IBWC may not accept funds from any “non-federal entity” located in a “foreign country of concern” as determined by the Secretary of State.
In the meantime, Peters said the Senate would need to pass Padilla’s companion legislation, or attach his bill to a larger funding or water infrastructure legislation.
In a written statement, IBWC Commissioner Chad McIntosh said he could not comment on pending legislation but he appreciates the efforts of stakeholders “to protect Americans from exposure to Mexican sewage.”
“We are accelerating the expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant to significantly reduce the amount of sewage in the Tijuana River which has been primarily responsible for beach closures and odors,” McIntosh added. “At the same time, we are holding Mexico accountable for their commitments to improve their sanitation infrastructure.”
