Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin met Thursday with the Mexican government's environmental head to sign an agreement to end the flow of sewage into the Tijuana River.
Zeldin met with Secretary of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia Bárcena Ibarra at the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to sign the memorandum of understanding which requires both nations to expedite stormwater and sewage infrastructure projects on both sides of the border.
The U.S. withheld some funds from projects until Mexico fulfilled its obligations, but the agreement signed Thursday agreed to release EPA Border Water Infrastructure Program funding to complete the rehabilitation of Pump Station 1 and the Tijuana River collection pipes. In exchange, Mexico agreed to fund and begin construction on two projects this year which, when completed, will divert 10 million gallons a day from running into the river and the Pacific Ocean.
"The Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long," Zeldin said.
The EPA administrator visited San Diego in April to receive an update on the trans-border sewage problem and see it in person.
"I made a commitment to the residents that I would spearhead an effort to construct an all-encompassing plan to finally bring the sewage crisis to an end," he said. "Since my visit, the Mexican and United States' governments have been working collaboratively to urgently finalize a permanent, 100% solution to this longstanding issue."
Other stipulations in the agreement include Mexico paying the remaining $93 million of "Minute 328" funds — another agreement signed in 2022 laying out multiple infrastructure projects — reducing the timeline for said projects and adding additional ones as Tijuana's population continues to grow.
While Zeldin presented the agreement as a partisan-led one coming from the White House itself, politicians of all stripes have been making moves on the issue in recent months.
Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, visited Imperial Beach to see the crisis up close.
"For too long, communities along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border have suffered the consequences of untreated sewage and toxic waste flowing into the Tijuana River," he said. "What I observed during my visit to Imperial Beach in May was unacceptable. This public health crisis, with growing economic and environmental impacts, would never be tolerated in Malibu or Mar-a- Lago and it shouldn't be tolerated here."
Earlier this month, Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress introduced legislation to help combat the ongoing Tijuana River sewage pollution by appointing the Environmental Protection Agency as the lead agency on the crisis.
Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, both D-California, and Booker, along with Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, introduced the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act of 2025. In it, the legislators call for the EPA to create a new geographic program to manage each watershed through a comprehensive water quality management plan.
Zeldin did thank his Mexican counterpart, as well as President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs for working towards a deal. He also gave a nod to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others in Washington.
Since 2018, more than 200 billion gallons of toxic sewage, trash, and unmanaged stormwater have flowed across the United States-Mexico border into the Tijuana River Valley and neighboring communities, forcing long-lasting beach closures and causing harmful impacts on public health, the environment and water quality.
"Addressing this issue is a top priority for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and we are unwavering in our commitment to advocating for long-term, binational solutions that protect our communities and support a thriving business climate," said Chris Cate, chamber president and CEO.
On Wednesday, the chamber and the Consulate of Mexico in San Diego signed an agreement to strengthen economic ties through various trade missions and binational initiatives.
