Tijuana Sewage Crisis: EPA and Mexican Government Sign Agreement to End

For many years, untreated raw sewage has flowed into Southern California from Mexico and polluted the Tijuana River Valley, causing beaches to close, rendering them unusable. Even with beaches closed, and dangerous pollution issues, the federal government never managed to get Mexico to deal with the sewage.

Recently, Navy SEALs in Coronado couldn’t even train on the beach because of the sewage.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond has played a major role in bringing this crisis to a national level and putting it on the radar of the federal government. He said the federal government had previously failed to hold Mexico accountable for the sewage flowing into California. “Our beaches must be clean, safe, and open year-round — anything less is unacceptable,” he wrote.

In April, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin made a visit to San Diego to address the years-long issue.

Also in April, Supervisor Desmond sent letters in April to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding intervention.

Last week, Administrator Zeldin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Secretary of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia Bárcena Ibarra to address and solve the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis.

Supervisor Desmond announced that the EPA and the Mexican government have signed a new agreement that commits Mexico to fund and accelerate critical infrastructure projects to stop the flow of raw sewage into our waters. This includes:

• $93 million in new funding from Mexico that had not yet been allocated.
• A fast-tracked timeline to finish all projects by December 31, 2027, up to four years ahead of schedule.
• Construction starting this year on two major projects to divert 10 million gallons per day of wastewater away from the Tijuana River.
• Expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant to35 million gallons per day by August 2025.

“This victory would not have been possible without your continued voices and advocacy, which helped keep the pressure on both governments to act,” Desmond said.

“This is a long-overdue win, but our work is not finished. I will continue pushing to ensure these promises are kept and that our beaches are clean and safe for families, residents, and U.S. Navy SEALs who train here.”

“Thank you for standing with me on this critical issue. Together, we are making a difference for our community and our coastline.”