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The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has demanded that Mexico take immediate action to stop the decades-long flow of raw sewage and toxic waste from Tijuana into Southern California.
Some shit you should know before you read: For decades, the city of Tijuana has struggled with failing wastewater infrastructure that cannot keep pace with its rapidly growing population and industrial activity. As a result, untreated sewage and toxic waste—containing industrial chemicals, pathogens, and solid waste—regularly overflow into the Tijuana River, which crosses the US-Mexico border and empties into the Pacific Ocean. Since 2018 alone, more than 100 billion gallons of contaminated water have entered the region, leading to frequent closures of beaches in Imperial Beach and Coronado, foul odors in local communities, and a range of health issues, including gastrointestinal illnesses and respiratory problems.
What’s going on now: Yesterday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin demanded that Mexico stop the ongoing discharge of raw sewage and toxic waste from Tijuana into Southern California. During his Earth Day visit to the US-Mexico border, Zeldin said, “Mexico needs to fulfill its part in cleaning up the contamination that they caused — their people caused. They cannot view this as a US problem just because their contamination reached US soil.”
As part of the response, Zeldin stated that the EPA would soon deliver a clear to-do list to the Mexican government outlining what actions are needed to stop the pollution. This list is expected to include infrastructure upgrades, such as floodgates to collect trash, and the diversion of 10 million gallons of sewage away from the shoreline. He also announced that the US and Mexico would be calling a meeting of the North American Development Bank to coordinate binational infrastructure projects and funding strategies. Zeldin stressed urgency, saying, “We’re going to know whether or not Mexico is going to do its part to resolve it, and then we’ll go from there, as far as strategy and tactics.”
As part of the response, Zeldin stated that the EPA would soon deliver a clear to-do list to the Mexican government outlining what actions are needed to stop the pollution. This list is expected to include infrastructure upgrades, such as floodgates to collect trash, and diverting 10 million gallons of sewage away from the shoreline.
Mexico’s response to the EPA’s demands has been optimistic. Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, met with Zeldin for 90 minutes and said Mexico was ready to cooperate. In a post on social media Bárcena said their meeting was “very productive” and said Mexico was ready to help solve the crisis.
