San Diego County supervisors propose new sewage treatment system to combat Tijuana River pollution crisis
Two San Diego County supervisors unveiled a plan to tackle the Tijuana River sewage crisis, a long-standing issue with significant environmental and health implications. Supervisors Tara Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre introduced their initiative aimed at constructing a new sewage treatment system on the U.S. side of the border during a press conference Monday.
For years, Mexican authorities have faced pressure to manage sewage that seeps into local waterways, yet existing infrastructure has not prevented pollution from impacting communities. Lawson-Remer emphasized the urgency, stating, “We can not keep talking about this.” She and Aguirre hope their proposal will transform the management of raw sewage entering the ocean.
Currently, infrastructure on both sides of the border designed to contain sewage in Mexico has not sufficiently addressed the problem. As Aguirre pointed out, “we can't control what happens across the border - but we can control what happens on our side of it.” The current systems are failing to capture all sewage, which contributes to polluted water and compromised air quality in San Diego.
The newly proposed Tijuana River Capture and Cleanup Initiative is a phased, county-led effort. However, the first step is securing a vote on the proposal during Tuesday's board meeting. If approved, the supervisors aim to pursue state emergency declarations to expedite the permitting process and identify funding sources.
“We won’t continue to punt this to anyone else while we have kids getting sick on a daily basis,” Aguirre declared. The initial phase of the initiative, with a planning process estimated at 18 months, is backed by $1.8 million already allocated in this year’s budget.
