Overview

• EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited San Diego on Earth Day to address the decades-long sewage contamination from the Tijuana River impacting U.S. beaches and public health.
• Zeldin met with Mexico’s Environmental Secretary Alicia Bárcena, emphasizing the need for Mexico to allocate $88 million in USMCA funds for cleanup projects south of the border.
• The U.S. is currently rehabilitating the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, a five-year project supported by $250 million in federal funding secured in late 2024.
• Mexico recently completed its San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant but temporarily released raw sewage into the Tijuana River to repair critical infrastructure.
• Local leaders, including Rep. Mike Levin and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, are urging the federal government to preserve funding and maintain momentum toward a permanent solution.