News Summary

The EPA has urged Mexico to take immediate action to prevent billions of gallons of sewage from Tijuana polluting the Pacific Ocean, leading to beach closures and health risks for Navy recruits. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited the border and emphasized the urgent need for a cooperative effort with Mexico to tackle this environmental and public health crisis. Recent funding initiatives and project proposals aim to reduce sewage flow and improve wastewater treatment facilities, but delays have hindered progress. Both countries are now under pressure to find effective solutions.

San Diego Battles Sewage Crisis as EPA Demands Action from Mexico

In a pressing plea to officials across the border, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is calling for urgent action to stop the relentless flow of billions of gallons of sewage and harmful chemicals pouring from Tijuana into the stunning waters of the Pacific Ocean. This alarming situation has reached a tipping point, leading to numerous beach closures and even health concerns among Navy SEALs growing accustomed to training in contaminated waters.

During a visit to the California-Mexico border on April 22, 2025, coinciding with Earth Day, Zeldin took a hard look at the current state of sewage management by touring a facility in San Diego County and surveying the challenges from above as he flew over the Tijuana River. He could see the environmental issue firsthand and was determined to get results.

Addressing the ongoing crisis, Zeldin announced that the EPA will be providing Mexico with a detailed “to-do list” that outlines specific projects aimed at tackling this long-standing environmental dilemma. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. Zeldin’s visit indicated that immediate action is not just desired but necessary.

While he did not go into specifics about possible punitive measures from the Trump administration if Mexico doesn’t act, Zeldin did emphasize that this sewage issue is a major priority for top officials. Interestingly, any discussions around tariffs were sidelined during his visit, as the focus remained firmly on the environmental impacts at hand.

Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, shared that Mexico is equally interested in resolving this alarming issue. Her sentiments echoed a desire for a partnership with the United States to mitigate this pollution crisis that has plagued the border region for too long.

The Tijuana River, a 120-mile body of water that flows into Southern California, has become a transit route for pollution that has, since 2018, seen over 100 billion gallons of raw sewage, industrial chemicals, and trash spill into the U.S. The repercussions of this pollution have been severe, leading to gastrointestinal illnesses among not just those swimming and surfing off the coast, but also local residents, including schoolchildren and border agents who have dealt with airborne bacteria stemming from the sewage.

From 2019 to 2023, the Navy reported over 1,168 cases of acute gastrointestinal illness among its training recruits, an indication of how serious the contamination situation has become. California beaches have become all too familiar with frequent closures over the past four years, as the stench and danger of sewage pollution linger.

Zeldin noted a significant amount of funding—over $653 million—has been allocated since 2020 to attack this persistent issue, yet progress has faced substantial delays, largely attributed to lack of cooperation from the Mexican government. However, there’s renewed hope with the recent leadership of Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president, who has taken charge and may push things forward more effectively.

Currently, projects in the works include crucial upgrades to Mexican wastewater treatment facilities, with Bárcena mentioning that the San Antonio de los Buenos plant has resumed full operations, promising to help reduce pollution levels. Additional efforts are underway to create special floodgates in Tijuana that would help collect trash and a proposal to divert 10 million gallons of sewage away from vulnerable shores.

During Zeldin’s visit, he also actively engaged with local leaders, lawmakers from San Diego, and Navy officials to discuss viable solutions to this sewage crisis. Local political leaders are putting together comprehensive lists of necessary projects to effectively halt the flow of this pollution.

As environmental advocacy groups step up, declaring this sewage crisis a public health emergency, they are calling for actionable solutions from both American and Mexican authorities. As the issue is recognized as a matter of national security, impacting the operational readiness of Navy forces in the area, residents of California are being urged to not bear the brunt of prolonged sewage contamination any longer. Patience has definitely worn thin.