California voters approved Proposition 4 last year. It will yield $10 billion to pay for environmental projects and programs.
Of that total, $50 million is earmarked to spend on water quality projects in the polluted Tijuana River, which crosses the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County before meeting the Pacific Ocean, and the New River, which also crosses the border from Mexicali into Imperial County.
That funding, leaders from both areas said Tuesday, would be critical in addressing cross-border pollution that continues to wreak havoc on the people who live and work near the rivers.
San Diego Supervisor Paloma Aguirre flew to Sacramento to ask the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday for the full $50 million. She said the funding would help fix a sewage hot spot in the Tijuana River, an area near homes, schools and parks where scientists have identified toxic chemicals and hydrogen sulfide that become airborne.
A culvert at the hot spot along Saturn Boulevard is meant to prevent flooding, but it creates turbulence in the river that worsens emissions of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas that produces a rotten egg odor and is naturally found in sewage. Residents have long reported that the noxious odors are causing their headaches, nausea, dry eyes and coughs.
At Aguirre’s direction and with support from her supervisorial colleagues, the county will find out what it will cost to fix the hot spot. She told the Water Board that a rough estimate is around $20 million to $50 million.
“It’s such a unique opportunity for us to be able to use this funding to expedite this infrastructure fix so that we can begin to be able to breathe every day,” Aguirre said.
But Calexico Mayor Diana Nuricumbo said that her city is relying on its share of the $50 million to pay for upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant, which processes and cleans wastewater before discharging it into the New River. The river is heavily polluted by agricultural runoff, industrial waste and municipal discharge from Mexicali. According to the state, the polluted waterway is a threat to human health and ecosystems and limits economic development.
Calexico Public Works Director Jesus Villegas Peimbert said the state funds could cover several treatment plant upgrades worth $9.5 million or expand its plant, which would cost $50 million. The city of Calexico committed to investing $25 million for the latter project.
Nuricumbo said the Imperial Valley has not had enough federal attention, adding that the state funding would be critical for the small city whose needs, she said, are often overlooked by those of larger cities.
“My ask today is simple: Please keep Calexico in your sightline,” Nuricumbo told board members. “Keep reminding folks that the Imperial County is part of California, too. That we also have a cross-border river issue.”
Water Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel acknowledged that both rivers need funding. He said the board will discuss at a later time “what our timelines are on that (state) funding and what the decision-making looks like for the board here on what the split is.”
“We very much know that there is a tremendous amount of need on the border region,” he added. “We want to make sure we keep these dollars to both watersheds and have balance there.”
