The Trump administration announced an agreement with Mexico on Thursday to speed construction of sewage treatment projects along the Southern California border, which experts described as a first step toward resolving a yearslong pollution crisis in the San Diego area.
Under a new memorandum of understanding, the Mexican government agreed to seek over $20 million in internal funding to divert the flow of toxic wastewater from the Tijuana area to the U.S. and repair a major wastewater pipe. Mexico also agreed to work toward allocating tens of millions of dollars in funding over the next two years for infrastructure needs identified by both governments in 2022.
The U.S., meanwhile, said it will release funding for the EPA Border Water Infrastructure Program, which had previously been withheld, and double the treatment capacity of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant by December 2027. That plant is owned and administered by the U.S. and received federal funding for the upgrade last year.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin described the MOU as a “permanent 100% solution” to what residents and California lawmakers call a full-blown sewage pollution crisis for people on both sides of the border. But experts said the U.S. will need to ensure that Mexico upholds its end of the deal, as funding for the planned projects must first be appropriated by the Mexican government.
