12 • 23 • 2024
Secure FY25 Supplemental Funding for South Bay International Treatment Plant at San Diego/Tijuana Border
Victory! Congress included $250 million in supplemental funding for expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the 2024 Disaster Relief Package that passed (at the last minute!) as part of the Continuing Resolution and was signed into law by President Biden on December 21, 2024.
Every year, billions of gallons of toxic pollution cross the U.S./Mexico border through the Tijuana Watershed bringing untreated sewage, industrial waste, and huge amounts of trash to beaches across south San Diego County and northern Baja California. These flows make beaches unsafe for public use, impair habitat and open space, and lead to multiple illnesses. The southernmost beach in San Diego has been closed for over 1,128 consecutive days and counting. The results are detrimental to local economies and pose an enormous public health hazard on both sides of the border. The pollution disproportionately impacts low income communities and communities of color, making this an environmental justice issue.
Surfrider has long been advocating for solutions to the pollution at the U.S./Mexico border through the San Diego Chapter's Clean Border Water Now campaign. Since the EPA vetted and selected the Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution (CIS) to reduce the flow of transboundary pollution, Surfrider’s advocacy goals have focused on securing the funding needed to implement the full CIS and any additional infrastructure improvements that are deemed necessary to solve the environmental justice and public health crisis in affected communities. The Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution (CIS) is a binational project that would significantly reduce toxic transboundary flows by 95% during the summer months and 76% during wet weather.
We are seeking supplemental funding from Congress in the FY2025 budget to help pay for the planned expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in San Ysidro as part of the CIS.
This project will help restore and protect clean water in the San Diego/Tijuana border region for the enjoyment and health of all people.
Visit the Clean Border Water Now page on the Surfrider Foundation San Diego's website to learn more information about the transboundary pollution crisis.