TIJUANA, BC – U.S. and Mexican officials met in Tijuana, Baja California, to review progress on projects to improve sanitation conditions on the border with San Diego.
The meeting followed up on a commitment between U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar and Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda for both parties to continue to periodically review progress toward completion of wastewater and sanitation infrastructure that, once completed, will significantly reduce transboundary wastewater flows and improve water quality at U.S. and Mexican beaches.
Participants in the meeting on the U.S. side included the Commissioner of the U.S. Section of the U.S.-Mexico International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), Maria Elena Giner, and Tom Reott, U.S. Consul General in Tijuana. The Mexican delegation was made up of Major General Raul Manzano Velez of the Army Corps of Engineers of the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), the Commissioner of the Mexican Section of the IBWC, Adriana Resendez Maldonado, Secretary Victor Daniel Amador Barragan of the Secretariat of Water of the State of Baja California (SEPROA), and Director Jesus Garcia Castro of the Secretariat of Water of Tijuana (CESPT).
General Manzano reported on the ongoing construction by SEDENA of the new San Antonio de los Buenos (SAB) wastewater treatment plant, which will treat 18 million gallons per day (800 liters per second). The project is fully funded, and construction is estimated to be completed by the end of September 2024. Once the plant is operational, it will greatly reduce the discharge of raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean.
CESPT Director Garcia provided an update on the repair of the 42-inch pipeline used to send wastewater and water from the Tijuana River to the SAB wastewater treatment plant and which has been out of service since July 2022. Now that the repairs have been completed, CESPT will bring the pipeline back online as soon as rainy season flows in the Tijuana River subside.
Commissioner Giner explained that the U.S. Section of the IBWC is conducting repairs at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego to bring it back into compliance with its permit in August 2024. A project to double the treatment capacity of the plant, which treats Tijuana’s wastewater, is also moving forward with a design-build contract to be awarded this summer.
Meeting participants stressed the importance of monthly inspections of Tijuana’s sanitation infrastructure, improved communication and sediment control along the border. They agreed to meet again on June 18 to review the progress of Minute 328 and other priority water and sanitation projects.
