Tijuana sewage system funding at stake in federal budget fight
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The San Diego border region could be getting an early Christmas present to the tune of $250 million, if Congress passes a bill to fund the federal government through March.
Driving the news: The spending bill would deliver more funding for repairs and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, if it is approved by the Friday deadline to keep the government operating.
Yes, but: The bill's prospects of passage were complicated after rank-and-file Republicans, Elon Musk and President-elect Trump came out against it.
Why it matters: The plant is overwhelmed by Tijuana sewage, leading to millions of gallons of untreated wastewater flowing into the southern San Diego coastline and creating an ongoing environmental justice crisis.
- Attempts to stop the flow of cross-border sewage, though, have run into funding problems, cost overruns and bureaucratic delays in spending money that has been dedicated.
How it works: The $250 million would join with $400 million already allocated by Congress.
- Those funds would cover repairs that started in August while the cross-border agency in charge of the plant figures out how to expand how much sewage it can treat at a time, as well as the expansion itself.
Flashback: Rep. Scott Peters and Sen. Alex Padilla requested the new repair and expansion money be included in an emergency disaster package, which President Biden granted and is, for now, included in the spending bill.
What they're saying: "Just a few months ago, we broke ground on the project to fix and upgrade the broken plant — now we have the money to finish the job," Peters said in a release, speaking about improvements expected to take seven years to complete.
- "Toxic sewage pollution in the Tijuana River has hurt our health, our environment, and our economy for too long," said Rep. Juan Vargas, whose district includes the border area, and who said the funding would fully fund needed improvements. "It's unacceptable, and our communities need relief."