Reps. Vargas, Jacobs Meet with IBWC Commissioners, State and Local Officials to Receive Update on San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant Construction
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Representatives Juan Vargas (CA-52) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) met with U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) Commissioner María Elena Giner, Mexico IBWC Commissioner Adriana Reséndez Maldonado, Consul General of the U.S. in Tijuana Tom Reott, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego Alicia Kerber, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, and Baja California cabinet members to discuss the need for continued coordination between the United States and Mexico to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and the Pacific Ocean. The lawmakers toured the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant and received an update on construction progress.
“The pollution has had a serious impact on our public health, economy, communities, and environment. While we’ve made progress on this long-standing issue and our San Diego Congressional delegation has recently brought home millions in federal funding, we need all hands on deck,” said Rep. Juan Vargas. “Addressing this pollution requires continued coordination between the United States and Mexico. That’s why I was glad to receive an update from Mexican authorities on construction progress on the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant and discuss how we can continue to work together to address this issue. There’s more work to do and we won’t let up.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs said, “Sewage and pollution have been flowing through the Tijuana River Valley for over a century now, worsening both the United States and Mexico’s public health and economic growth. We’ve made recent progress on both sides of the border to address this long-standing crisis – from securing hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars to the groundbreaking of the replacement wastewater treatment plant in Punta Bandera. But ending this problem for good will require constant vigilance and collaboration between our two countries. That’s why I was glad to get an update from Mexican authorities on their progress, and we will continue the work to solve this crisis.”
In March, the San Diego Congressional delegation announced over $156 million for the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission in the bipartisan government funding bill. The funding can be used for critical repairs to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant to help combat cross-border pollution.
In 2019, the San Diego Congressional delegation secured $300 million to expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant from 25 million gallons per day to 50 million gallons per day. In 2022, the San Diego Congressional delegation successfully passed legislation to clear the path for the International Boundary and Water Commission to use the funds to address harmful pollutants in the Tijuana River Valley.
###