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Environment

San Diego Sewage Plant Gets 6 Months To Clean Up

The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in San Diego treats waste water from Tijuana, and discharges the treated water to the Pacific Ocean. The border wall, and a Tijuana neighborhood, is visible from the water treatment site in San Ysidro.
Ruxandra Guidi
The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in San Diego treats waste water from Tijuana, and discharges the treated water to the Pacific Ocean. The border wall, and a Tijuana neighborhood, is visible from the water treatment site in San Ysidro.

A wastewater treatment plant that's spewing pollution into the ocean off San Diego has six more months to clean up its act.

U-T San Diego says a federal judge on Wednesday granted a federal agency more time to solve problems at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. However, the judge warned it may be the last extension he'll grant.

The privately operated plaPlant. However, the judge warned it may be the last extension he'll grant.

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The privately operated plant in San Ysidro was built in the 1990s to process 25 million gallons of sewage daily from neighboring Tijuana. It's repeatedly violated clean water standards despite more than $92 million in upgrades.

The extension gives the International Boundary and Water Commission more time to deal with the issue. Regional water quality officials agreed to the extension