SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Two San Diego County supervisors Wednesday praised a decision by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board to expand treatment capacity at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
In a statement, Paloma Aguirre and Joel Anderson said a cease-and-desist order will allow the plant to treat an additional 10 million gallons per day, from 25 million gallons to 35 million gallons.
The water control board adopted the cease-and-desist order during its regular meeting on Wednesday.
Aguirre and Anderson described that decision as "a major step toward reducing untreated sewage flows through the Tijuana River Valley."
"South Bay families have been forced to live with toxic pollution for years now," Aguirre and Anderson said. "This cease-and-desist order is an urgently needed step to protect public health and finally bring some relief to South Bay residents."
The supervisors said allowing more treatment capacity at the plant, which the International Boundary and Water Commission operates, was "an important step forward."
Since 2018, over 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.
Last month, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin met 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 county's Congressional delegation has worked over the years to secure federal funding in response to the pollution crisis.
Both supervisors sent letters to Water Quality Control Board requesting increased treatment capacity at the plant.
Anderson, who represents District 2, said he was "pleased to have worked closely with Supervisor Aguirre on this important issue to our county and our region."
In a related manner, Anderson and Aguirre have also called "for urgent action" at a "hotspot" on Saturn Boulevard, which is located near the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park.
They asked the Water Quality Control Board "to immediately coordinate with the county of San Diego to expedite a major maintenance project at this critical location, where hydrogen sulfide and other toxic gases continue to threaten community health."
"This project will reduce turbulence, restore natural flow and directly lessen airborne hazards that are making our children, seniors and visitors sick," said Aguirre, who was recently elected to represent District 1, which includes the South Bay.
"The water board should work hand-in-hand with the county to cut red tape and deliver these protections as quickly as possible," she added.
According to the supervisors, studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed "high illness rates directly tied to sewage exposure in South County -- with more than 70% of surveyed residents reporting health impacts.
"Families, farm workers, Navy personnel and Border Patrol officers continue to face dangerous conditions caused by toxic gases released when untreated sewage overwhelms local infrastructure," they added. "Approving these measures will not only protect public health, but also reopen beaches, support military readiness and restore long-overdue community trust."
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