Rep. Peters’ Bill to Shore up Funding to Address Toxic Wastewater in the Tijuana River Valley Passes in the House

Washington, D.C. - Yesterday evening, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Representative Scott Peters' (CA-50) legislation, H.R. 1948, to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from other federal agencies as well as and non-federal sources for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts. Currently, the IBWC relies almost solely upon annual appropriations from Congress or emergency funding to build and maintain its facilities.

Rep. Peters and the San Diego Congressional delegation have now secured a total of $650 million for IBWC, which is enough to fully repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plan (SBIWTP). SBIWTP is the primary facility on the U.S.-side of the border responsible for treating cross-border sewage. Operations and maintenance projects are currently underway on both sides of the border to combat cross-border sewage pollution, and the region will see incremental improvements as each phase is completed. An increase in funding available from non-federal sources such as cities, states, or non-profits would support these projects, bolster future operation and maintenance of the SBIWTP, and strengthen coordination between local, federal, and binational agencies.

"I've worked with our Congressional delegation and local advocates for years to bring attention to cross-border sewage pollution, and we now have enough money to fix the SBIWTP and double its capacity," said Rep. Peters. "Our state and local partners have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of this environmental and public health crisis. Additional funding pathways for the IBWC provide the flexibility we need to better invest in the long-term health and well-being of our region. I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly pass this commonsense legislation."

"Together, our Congressional delegation has successfully secured over half a billion dollars in federal funds to combat cross-border pollution. Our legislation will open up additional funding pathways and help us send more resources to the Tijuana River Valley," said Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-52). "I'm glad to see this critical bill pass the House and hope to see it swiftly passed in the Senate as well."

"Our San Diego congressional delegation has proudly brought home more than $650 million in federal funds to address the sewage and pollution flowing through the Tijuana River Valley - but we know it's not enough," said Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51). "This fix would give the IBWC the permanent flexibility it needs for strategic, long-term investments to improve our health, well-being, and safety on both sides of the border."

This bipartisan legislation would allow other federal agencies or non-federal entities like the Department of Defense, the State of California, the City of San Diego and others to provide funding to IBWC. Specifically, it would:

• Allow federal and non-federal entities to provide up to $5 million in funding to IBWC to invest in flood control infrastructure.

• Include important legislative safeguards to prevent foreign entities of concern from contributing to the agency.

"The passage of H.R. 1948 is a victory for our binational region. It provides the International Boundary and Water Commission with the long-needed ability to accept funding from federal, state, and local government agencies, unlocking resources to advance critical infrastructure that will help mitigate the ongoing transboundary pollution crisis," said San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Chris Cate. "For far too long, communities in our region have faced devastating public health, environmental, and economic impacts from untreated sewage and urban runoff. With the passage of this bill, we take a meaningful step forward in safeguarding public health, protecting our shared environment, and supporting the region's economy and community prosperity. We commend our congressional leaders for their ongoing leadership to address these issues."

Letters of support from the City of San Diego can be found here and from the City of Coronado here.

A one pager of the bill can be found here.

Further Background:

Representative Peters has, for years, worked to address the cross-border pollution fouling San Diego's coastal waters, including pushing for additional funding to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP. The following are some recent actions:

2025

1. In March, Rep. Peters introduced legislation to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from federal and non-federal entities for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts.

2024

1. In January, Rep. Peters took to the House floor to demand that the President's requested $310 million to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP be included in any upcoming spending deal.

1. In February, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego's Congressional delegation to ask U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the effects of cross-border pollution on Navy operations.

1. In March, Rep. Peters celebrated the inclusion of $156 million, at his request, for the International Boundary and Water Commission's (IBWC) construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill. The IBWC is the federal agency tasked with operating and maintaining the SBIWTP.

1. In May, Rep. Peters joined Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) in a bipartisan request for $278 million for the IBWC's construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill.

1. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant.

1. In September, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego's Congressional delegation to reiterate their call for a federal state of emergency declaration amid high levels of toxic gases.

1. In December, Rep. Peters and the Congressional delegation successfully fought to include an additional $250 million to fully repair and expand the capacity of the SBIWTP in the government funding bill. This brought the total amount of funds secured to $650 million.

2023

1. In June, Rep. Peters led a letter with other members of the San Diego Congressional delegation to the governor of Baja California urging accountability for the Mexican government's commitments to build wastewater treatment infrastructure.

1. In July, members of the San Diego congressional delegation requested that the Environmental Protection Agency assist with directing environmental justice funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to help stop the flow of pollutants and urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to tour the broken plant.

1. Also in July, they sent a letter to President Biden and submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the administration to declare this crisis a federal emergency.

1. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additional funding to confront this crisis.

1. In September, he proposed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost U.S.- Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program funding. Additionally, he proposed two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost annual construction funding to the USIBWC to $100 million.

1. In October, Rep. Peters led a bipartisan letter to the Department of State demanding a complete account of how the SBIWTP fell into such a severe state of disrepair.

1. In December, he led a letter urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to include President Biden's $310 million supplemental budget request to repair the SBIWTP in any upcoming funding package.

In previous years, Peters and colleagues have secured funding, introduced legislation, called for investigations, and arranged a visit by EPA Administrator Regan in response to the wastewater contamination crisis.

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