California Joins Federal And Community Partners To Launch Pilot Project To Help Clean Up Tijuana River

California, federal and international representatives today gathered near the southern border to celebrate a state-funded pilot project to help clean up the Tijuana River. This is part of $35M in funding the Newsom Administration has directed to address the ongoing sewage crisis on the Tijuana River.

The State Water Resources Control Board financed the $4.7M project, which features floating trash booms made partially from recycled material. The project is overseen by the nonprofit Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC). Once completed, it will intercept tires, washing machines and other debris that flow from Mexico into the Tijuana River, clogging the channel and contributing to chronic water quality problems.

The pilot, which will run for the next two consecutive storm seasons, began with the deployment of the plastic-and-steel encased booms on Nov. 14. Today’s ribbon-cutting event initiates the next phase: the capture and removal of objects that block the untreated wastewater from entering the treatment plant.

Although Mexico is primarily responsible for preventing trash-laden wastewater from flowing into the Tijuana River Valley, U.S. federal and state agencies assist with equipment, maintenance and resources to contain the discharges through a series of canyon collectors designed to intercept objects that block untreated sewage from reaching the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Addressing this decades-long crisis
Governor Newsom visited both sides of the border earlier this year to see rehabilitation efforts. In partnership with California’s congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration, Governor Newsom helped secure $453M in federal funding — $103M this year and $350M last year— for critical upgrades to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. The upgrades will significantly reduce the flow of untreated sewage into California’s coastal waters.

State investments to clean up the area, provide air filters to communities: Earlier this month, the county announced plans to purchase and distribute $2.7M worth of air purifiers for local residents, which will be reimbursed by the state. Since 2019, California has allocated $35M in state funding to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and support cleanup efforts:

• $1M to fund Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
• $9M to operate and maintain Goat Canyon sediment and trash basins.
• $4.7M to Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s Tijuana River Trash Boom pilot project.
• $14.25M for the Smuggler’s Gulch Improvement Project.
• $3.3M for the Tijuana River Valley Habitat and Hydrology Restoration Project.
• $3M to develop a model to forecast the presence of pathogens in San Diego coastal and tidal waters and help measure the effectiveness of potential projects in the Tijuana River Valley.