By SDCN Staff
Washington, D.C.–The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the signing of a new bilateral agreement between the United States and Mexico aimed at addressing longstanding sewage pollution flowing from the Tijuana River into Southern California.
The agreement, known as Minute 333, was approved by the U.S. and Mexican sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). It outlines a series of actions intended to reduce cross-border wastewater flows, including new infrastructure projects, expanded monitoring, research initiatives, and planning for long-term operation and maintenance of wastewater systems in the Tijuana region.
The Tijuana River sewage issue has persisted for decades, with untreated wastewater periodically entering the United States during equipment failures or heavy rain events. The pollution has contributed to frequent beach closures along the San Diego County coastline, environmental damage in the Tijuana River Valley, public health concerns, and economic impacts on nearby communities. Military training activities in the area have also been affected.
According to the EPA, Minute 333 builds on a July memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by U.S. and Mexican officials and incorporates provisions intended to account for projected population growth in Tijuana, a factor officials say was not fully addressed in earlier agreements. The EPA said the new Minute does not commit additional U.S. taxpayer funding for projects on the Mexican side of the border.
Under the agreement, Mexico is expected to develop a water infrastructure master plan for Tijuana within six months and construct several wastewater-related facilities over the coming years. Planned projects include a sediment basin near the international boundary in Matadero Canyon, a new wastewater treatment plant in the Tecolote-La Gloria area, and studies to evaluate expanding and modifying the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant. The agreement also calls for the creation of a binational working group and the establishment of an operations and maintenance funding mechanism through the North American Development Bank.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agreement establishes a framework for addressing future wastewater needs in the region.
“Great progress has been made this year to achieve the 100% solution to the Tijuana River sewage crisis, but it would have all been for nothing if we don’t take the appropriate steps to account for the inevitable population growth of Tijuana and surrounding areas. That’s what Minute 333 achieves. We have set the framework for tremendous steps to be made, and we now look forward to very quickly hitting the ground running to implement the mutually agreed-upon actions,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) described the agreement as progress on a long-standing public health concern, noting that efforts to address cross-border pollution have spanned multiple administrations.
“I am pleased to see that we are moving forward on a new United States-Mexico agreement that will make progress on addressing this public health crisis. For far too long under both Democratic and Republican administrations, progress has been unacceptably slow, and this is a step in the right direction,” Rep. Levin said.
Imperial Beach Mayor Mitchell McKay commended the move to address the issue.
“The City of Imperial Beach wishes to express its renewed sense of cautious optimism in this critical and formal step forward – the memorializing of the previous MOU into an official Treaty minute – Minute 333. We appreciate the current Administration’s EPA and IBWC’s timely efforts to move the needle forward on this issue of paramount importance.”
The IBWC and EPA said they will provide updates on implementation as projects move forward.
