The projects will reduce the risk of spill of up to 60 million gallons per day of untreated wastewater in the Tijuana River Watershed.
WD News: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) have joined Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Agua (CONAGUA) and the Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana (CESPT) to announce funding for two wastewater infrastructure projects.
The U.S. and Mexico will each contribute approximately half of the nearly USD 30 million cost of these projects.
“The announcement means tangible progress toward reducing the pollution that affects our shared border communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman.
“This is a road map for improving sanitation infrastructure projects in San Diego and Tijuana, and the USIBWC is committed to seeing this vision become a reality,” said USIBWC Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner.
Many parts of Tijuana wastewater infrastructure are decades old and at high risk of failure. Without these new projects, cross-border flows in the Tijuana River could increase significantly.
The new International Collector will have the capacity to carry untreated sewage up to 60 million gallons per day to the International Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the rehabilitated PB1 will be able to pump river water and excess wastewater to the Tijuana coast.
Source: EPA
Image courtesy: Pixabay
