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Audit Alleges US Corporations Stealing Water, Contributing To Tijuana Sewage Problem

A surfer rides a wave in Imperial Beach in San Diego, Calif., Friday, March 2, 2018, behind a sign warning of the sewage-contaminated water from the Tijuana River Valley.
Elliot Spagat / AP
A surfer rides a wave in Imperial Beach in San Diego, Calif., Friday, March 2, 2018, behind a sign warning of the sewage-contaminated water from the Tijuana River Valley.
An independent audit of Baja California’s water agency has found that many international companies with operations in Baja California have paid for only a fraction of the water they have used for years and have dumped waste without approval into the overburdened Tijuana sewage system, while water agency officials looked the other way.

New allegations of fraud by international corporations connected to Tijuana sewage spills that have been affecting South Bay cities for decades.

An independent audit of Baja California’s water agency has found that many international companies with operations in Baja California have paid for only a fraction of the water they have used for years and have dumped waste without approval into the overburdened Tijuana sewage system, while water agency officials looked the other way.

RELATED: Border Sewage Projects Secure Funding, But Progress Will Be Slow

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The alleged fraud between the water agency and corporations like Walmart and Coca-Cola would have deprived Tijuana of millions to fix its sewage system while adding industrial runoff to the problem.

“These businesses have been systematically robbing the people,” Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

U-T reporter Wendy Fry reported on the audit and joined Midday Edition on Tuesday to discuss the details.