The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) new Administrator Lee Zeldin visited San Diego on April 22nd to seek solutions and action plans for the long-standing pollution crisis in the Tijuana River on the U.S.-Mexico border.
During a press conference, Zeldin stated that this visit was “very important for us, not only to personally understand the actual situation in Southern California, but also to ensure that the future path involves maximum cooperation and urgent action to end this crisis that should have been resolved long ago.”
Zeldin mentioned that he held a meeting with the Mexican Minister of Environment, Alicia Bárcena, on the evening of April 21st, where she expressed that the new Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, is willing to establish a “strong cooperation” with the United States to “ultimately solve this problem.”
He indicated that he will seek a comprehensive plan and act on it “with the fastest speed possible.”
The Tijuana River, spanning 120 miles, with its main channel located in Baja California in Mexico, crosses over to San Diego about five miles downstream from the border city of Tijuana and ultimately flows into the Pacific Ocean.
The pollution issue in the Tijuana River has persisted for decades, exacerbated in recent years by the rapid population growth in Tijuana, Mexico, and the deterioration of its water treatment infrastructure, posing a severe crisis.
U.S. officials stated that in the past five years, over 100 billion gallons of untreated sewage from Mexico have flowed through the Tijuana River into the United States and entered the Pacific Ocean, causing foul odors in the Tijuana River Valley area, health concerns, and forcing the closure of numerous beaches in San Diego due to bacteria contamination, including Imperial Beach that set a record of being closed continuously for 1000 days by September last year, with closures ongoing.
A significant amount of waste, including discarded tires, has also crossed the border via the river and accumulated in the Tijuana River Valley area in San Diego.
At the same time, a report from the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General’s Office in February this year stated that new recruits of the U.S. Navy SEALs conducting training exercises in the waters of San Diego have reportedly fallen ill due to water pollution. The report documented 1168 cases of health issues linked to contact with seawater from 2019 to 2023.
Zeldin’s visit also included a meeting with the Navy SEALs. His press conference took place at the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
Before the press conference, Zeldin had a roundtable discussion with bipartisan leaders and presented “many helpful and insightful suggestions.” He informed the media that within the next 24 hours, he will draft “a comprehensive list containing all measures that we have full confidence will end the crisis.”
He emphasized that this is a bipartisan effort from the United States.
Participants at the press conference included local, state, and federal elected officials, such as San Diego congressional representatives Darrell Issa, Mike Levin, and Juan Vargas.
Democrat Levin and Vargas noted Zeldin’s record of bipartisan cooperation during his tenure as a Republican congressman from New York from 2015 to 2023. Vargas stated, “This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, this is an American issue.”
“This is a bipartisan issue, and if we are going to solve it, we must continue to maintain bipartisan cooperation,” Levin told the media.
Levin mentioned that since 2020, Congress has allocated a total of $653 million for the expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant located at the San Diego border, but the construction progress has been slow in recent years. He hoped that under new leadership, the acceleration of the project will begin.
“We don’t want a 70% solution or a 90% solution, we need a 100% solution where everyone in the U.S. agrees,” Zeldin stated.
He added that if all the items on his list could be completed, “this crisis will be over.”
This includes Mexico fulfilling its commitments to operate and maintain water treatment facilities. Mexico’s past shortcomings in this area have led to the deterioration of its infrastructure, allowing a large amount of untreated sewage to enter the waterways.
It is crucial, Zeldin said, that “Mexico must make it clear whether they are willing to accept and implement the plans laid out on our list.”
Responding to questions from reporters, Zeldin emphasized the urgency of resolving the pollution crisis and the current opportunities for cooperation.
“The people on the U.S. border have been enduring this problem for decades, their patience is running out,” Zeldin said.
“There is a limited window of opportunity,” he noted, “the message conveyed by the new Mexican president is that she strongly wants to thoroughly solve this problem.”
Congressman Vargas, whose district includes the border area, expressed optimism about cooperation with the new Mexican government and its president.
He mentioned that Mexico had not previously cared about the issue of sewage flowing into the U.S. But now with a new president who is an “environmental scientist,” “she has pledged to address this issue. I hope she fulfills her promise,” Vargas said.
Congressman Issa told the media that he also sees great potential for cooperation between the two countries.
He noted that President Trump has prioritized solving this pollution crisis since he first took office, and now with his return and Mexico having a new president, the opportunity for cooperation is significant.
“On one side, you have a president focused on the environment throughout her career, on the other side a president focused on construction,” he explained, “you will find, for this crisis, this is a perfect combination.” In the construction sector, there are many compliance requirements, and environmental pollution situations are not tolerated.
“If the current Mexican President values this issue as she has demonstrated, then it’s an opportunity,” Issa said.
Since taking office, EPA Administrator Zeldin has expressed a firm stance, believing that Mexico must take responsibility for the pollution in the Tijuana River.
In a post on a platform on March 8th, Zeldin expressed that the pollution of the Tijuana River is “unacceptable,” and stated, “Mexico must fulfill its commitments to control pollution and sewage!”
During the press conference on April 22nd, Zeldin mentioned that while cooperation from both sides is needed to prevent sewage from continuing to flow into the U.S., Mexico still needs to clean up the pollution that has already occurred.
“They can’t just consider it a U.S. problem just because the pollution flows into U.S. territory,” he remarked.
“We need Mexico to not only commit to implementing all projects that stop the sewage flow but also commit to the cleanup work of the pollution,” he stated.
Leaders in San Diego, including County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, a city most severely affected by sewage contamination, have repeatedly requested the EPA to designate the Tijuana River Valley as a “Superfund” site, enabling the federal government to clean up the pollution in that area.
However, the EPA has rejected these requests.
While Zeldin did not mention the “Superfund site” request during the press conference, he stated, “Cleaning up the current pollution, that sense of fulfillment will only last for a day… we must stop the pollution from coming in.”
“Superfund” is a special fund set up by the U.S. government for the cleanup of severely polluted areas. If designated as a Superfund site, the EPA is responsible for the cleanup and restoration efforts.
Opponents argue that the cleanup process for Superfund sites is lengthy and may delay the early resolution of pollution problems. Moreover, once identified as a severely contaminated area, the reputation of the area may suffer, negatively impacting real estate and business sectors.