EPA, Mexico meet over Tijuana sewage crisis
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss rolling back Biden-era environmental policies, the U.S.-Mexico sewage crisis in Tijuana, and his recent meeting with an Israeli diplomat killed just weeks later.
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The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday that it has shaved off additional months from construction efforts to resolve a chronic sewage crisis seeping into the San Diego area from Mexico.
“The Trump Administration is doing everything in its power to urgently and permanently deliver the 100% solution to the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis that the residents of Southern California have demanded for decades,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said Thursday in a press release provided to Fox News Digital.
Sewage has been flowing into San Diego from across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, going back decades. The situation has been described as a crisis by local leaders and residents, as the sewage impacts the city’s tourism and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where Navy SEALs train.
SEALs, who are required to spend hours in the ocean as part of their training, have reported serious illnesses from the contaminated water, including acute gastrointestinal illnesses.
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The crisis is blamed on outdated wastewater infrastructure that was strained by the skyrocketing population in Tijuana, Mexico, which has increased by approximately 188% from 1990 to 2025 alone, according to figures compiled by the Mexican government and local universities.
Lee Zeldin on Capitol Hill for his Senate confirmation to serve as EPA administrator. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
The EPA announced Thursday that it completed a 100-day review of all projects associated with correcting the sewage crisis and wastewater infrastructure along the border, and found it had shaved the timeline of completion for two other projects by another nine months, meaning roughly 12 years in total construction time was cut from the project.
“Important new progress to report on the efforts to implement a permanent, 100% solution to end the decades long Tijuana River Sewage Crisis: Today, EPA is announcing a nine month total reduction in the timelines for two additional key projects on the Mexico side of the border: Rehabilitation of Pump Station 1 and reconstruction of the Tijuana River Gates,” Zeldin posted to X of the announcement.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer patrols in a truck along the U.S.–Mexico border wall in Imperial Beach, San Diego, Jan. 25, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Cleaning up the Tijuana, Mexico, sewage crisis was among Zeldin’s top priorities in the early months of his tenure as EPA chief, traveling to San Diego and Mexico in April to assess the situation and meet with local leaders.
Raw sewage from Tijuana is flowing into the San Diego area, causing illness to spread among SEALs and candidates. (Rob Sweetman )
Zeldin and his Mexican government counterpart, Secretary of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in July that streamlined the two governments’ efforts to correct the crisis.
The Memorandum of Understanding allows the Minute 328 agreement, which is a 2022 agreement between the U.S. and Mexico through the International Boundary and Water Commission to address the sewage crisis with 17 sanitation infrastructure projects.
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The Trump EPA said the Minute 328 agreement “did not go far enough to achieve the 100% solution San Diego area residents so desperately demand,” sparking the Trump administration to launch a full review of the projects and streamline their completion.
Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) class participate in a surf passage training exercise at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California. (Getty Images)
July’s Memorandum of Understanding included Mexico designating millions of dollars in unused Minute 328 funding to the wastewater projects, as well as hashing out a reduced timeline for completion of the remaining Minute 328 projects, and mapping out other projects for Mexico to prepare for a further increase to Tijuana’s population in the coming years. The MOU established that all Minute 328 projects must be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2027.
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“Reducing timelines for existing infrastructure projects is a sign of great progress and demonstrates how both the United States and Mexico are faithfully upholding their agreed-upon responsibilities from July’s MOU,” Zeldin said Thursday. “Through intensive collaboration, we were able to cut through red tape, identify efficiencies, and overcome bureaucratic hurdles. While substantial construction work lies ahead, this represents a crucial step in our commitment to protect American communities from cross-border pollution.”
