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Rep. Darrell Issa and Rep. Juan Vargas introduce Tijuana River Valley sewage legislation

Posted at 1:15 PM, Sep 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-18 16:22:59-04

(KGTV) - Congressman Juan Vargas (D-Chula Vista) and Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Vista) announced Monday new bipartisan legislation to rehabilitate the Tijuana River Valley after ongoing sewage spills.

The legislation would provide grant funding and develop a plan to update the South Bay region’s infrastructure, a spokesman for Rep. Issa said.

“The impact of these continuing spills will be felt for generations to come unless we take action to stop it now. Allowing the sewage and wastewater to flow up into San Diego County not only hurts small business and our tourism-reliant economy but also poses serious health consequences for local communities and the border patrol agents who have been harmed in their ability to secure our border by the ongoing contamination. Solving this problem will come only with strong bipartisan and international cooperation. I’m proud of the work Juan and I have put into this bill to ensure that it gets cleaned up and that we take preventative measures to ensure it never happens again,” Rep. Issa said.

RELATED: Millions of gallons of wastewater spill from Mexico

“Sewage from Tijuana has been flowing into the Tijuana River Valley, into beaches in San Diego County, and our communities for too long. This legislation will help rehabilitate the Tijuana River Valley and rebuild the infrastructure needed to prevent future spills,” Rep. Vargas said.