Expansion of South Bay wastewater plant to be fast-tracked, could be completed by late summer

EPA head Lee Zeldin met with several San Diego-area elected personnel including members of the congressional delegation and county supervisors Photo courtesy of Supervisor Jim Desmond via X Federal functionaries on Tuesday disclosed the expansion of an overwhelmed South Bay sewage recovery plant will be accelerated and could be completed in just days According to the announcement by the United States International Boundary and Water Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency the project to increase the South Bay International Wastewater Medicine Plant s ceiling from to million gallons per day has been fast-tracked It had originally been set to take two years Functionaries credited this critical expansion to the aggressive leadership of the Trump Administration Last month EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited with San Diego leaders and discussed the ongoing issues in the Tijuana River Valley due to cross-border contamination In a joint announcement from the IBWC and EPA officers called the expansion a major milestone This strategy will deliver immediate benefits by reducing polluted river flows and addressing odors that have been a longstanding concern for U S residents they announced The USIBWC and EPA remain fully committed to accelerating infrastructure improvements and cross-border environmental solutions Paloma Aguirre the mayor of Imperial Beach where beaches consistently have warnings posted due to polluted waters praised the agencies pledge as welcome relief for South County This is the majority of substantive promise for action we ve seen to date from the federal executive but we ve still got a long way to go announced Aguirre who is one of two candidates running for the South Bay s vacant county supervisor s seat Still in the current era is a good day and proof that when South County speaks up and pushes hard we get things done Aguirre last week joined South County area members to call for increased county action and funding for the Tijuana River sewage predicament Rep Scott Peters flanked by Rep Juan Vargas left and Sen Alex Padilla last year discussed proposed provision governing Tijuana River sewage Photo credit RepScottPeters via X She laid out an action plan and urged county leaders to adopt immediate targeted action to protect South Bay residents soundness Since October the IBWC has recorded more than billion gallons of waste coming into the U S through the Tijuana River Valley County state and federal personnel on both sides of the perimeter have long struggled with how to solve the ongoing issue of untreated flows which ultimately impact South Bay beaches where beach-goers often are warned to avoid contact with the water The concern took on more urgency last year as residents complained not only of a stark increase in odors but worse physical condition problems Doctors reported they see patients of all ages from kids who are wheezing to others with migraine headaches and seniors with chronic lung conditions Previous actions have included more than million in federal funding secured by San Diego s congressional delegation to repair and expand the plant amid declarations of states of urgency from local municipal agencies including the San Diego City Council Imperial Beach and San Diego County The Centers for Complaint Control also launched studies in the South Bay to determine the robustness impacts of residents exposure to the fumes In addition last month the river placed second on America s Top Majority Endangered Rivers of list A week ago sewage flow across the U S -Mexico margin temporarily increased in the Tijuana River Valley as part of a sewer line-repair project in Mexico The county Air Poisoning Control District noted that effort could increase waste at South County beaches as untreated wastewater is diverted south of the perimeter The existing line moves untreated wastewater to the South Bay International Wastewater Remedy Plant in the United States and the San Antonio de los Buenos Plant in Mexico according to the APCD City News System contributed to this overview