United States And Mexico Reach Agreement To Permanently And Urgently End Decades-Long Tijuana River Sewage Crisis

Trump Administration Secures Massive Environmental and National Security Victory for USA  

Mexico City, Mexico — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin met with Secretary of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia Bárcena Ibarra at the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Mexico to address and solve the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis. For many decades, untreated raw sewage has flowed into Southern California from Mexico, polluting the Tijuana River Valley, closing beaches, fouling the air, harming the region’s economy, and sickening people on both sides of the border.  

“The Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.

This agreement achieves the three top Trump Administration priorities and milestones critical to ensuring a 100% solution to this issue: 

1. Mexico will obligate the remaining $93 million of Minute 328 funds that they hadn’t yet obligated. 
2. The timeline for completion of the remaining Minute 328 projects have been reduced. 
3. Several necessary Mexico side projects have been added to account for future population growth in Tijuana and operation and maintenance costs.

This MOU is a direct result of the recent negotiations between the Trump Administration and Mexico following Administrator Zeldin’s visit to San Diego in April. Immediately after the trip, Administrator Zeldin and EPA leadership began working with the U.S. Department of State to begin negotiating with Mexico. 

This agreement outlines specific actions the United States and Mexico will take to implement a permanent 100% solution to end this crisis.