Overview

• EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to San Diego on April 21, 2025, to address the decades-long sewage contamination flowing from Tijuana into California.
• Zeldin met with Mexican Environmental Secretary Alicia Bárcena and local officials to discuss accelerating infrastructure upgrades and securing Mexico's $88 million funding obligation under the USMCA.
• The U.S. is expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, while Mexico's new San Antonio de los Buenos plant is operational, treating 18 million gallons of sewage daily.
• Recent sewage releases for repair work have exacerbated contamination, leading to ongoing beach closures and impacting Navy SEAL training, with some personnel falling ill.
• Zeldin emphasized the urgency of permanent solutions to what the EPA has labeled a public health and environmental crisis, affecting local communities and ecosystems.