Susan Davis: “Imperial Beach, the city which is the brilliant cornerstone on the Southwestern point of our country, has a beautiful…”

“Imperial Beach, the city which is the brilliant cornerstone on the Southwestern point of our country, has a beautiful beach as well as a unique location. However, for too many days of the year, this natural resource cannot be enjoyed by its children, families, and visitors. Unfortunately, the burgeoning city of Tijuana located just across the border and the source of the Tijuana River lacks adequate sewage treatment. As a result, particularly when rain falls on the mesas and canyons along this border, raw sewage and other pollutants are washed into the Tijuana River, flow across the Tijuana Estuary on the Imperial Beach side of the border, and empty into the Pacific Ocean just next to the beautiful sand of Imperial Beach. Congress enacted Public Law 106-457 in 2000 to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission, composed of representatives of both the United States and Mexico, to complete a new Treaty Minute for creation of a public-private partnership to construct and operate a wastewater treatment facility in Mexico. However, this has not occurred.”