Joe Cunningham: “In 2002, the City of San Diego declared a local emergency regarding the flow of sewage across the border from Tijuana to…”

“In 2002, the City of San Diego declared a local emergency regarding the flow of sewage across the border from Tijuana to San Diego. It is estimated that 70 million gallons per day of sewage is released into the Tijuana River Valley and flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is imperative that something be done to stop the flow of sewage from Tijuana into the Pacific. This legislation is a positive and significant step forward in ensuring that the requirements of the Clean Water Act are met. It makes the necessary changes that would effectively allow for the building of a wastewater sewage treatment facility in Mexico that will process 50+ million gallons of water per day in compliance with the Clean Water Act. I have been working for years now to ensure a solution to this problem, and I believe the proposal to construct a treatment plant in Mexico is the most cost-effective solution. This bill will enable that to occur, and to eliminate the potential threat to the quality of water in the San Diego-Tijuana border at zero cost to taxpayers. This bill will ensure major environmental benefits for California and is the best option to address this serious public health and safety concern for San Diego.”