The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Wednesday to convene a special meeting on the Tijuana River border pollution crisis, planned for this spring.
According to Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who proposed the meeting, the special session "aims to bring together federal, state and local agencies, alongside bi-national stakeholders, to assess progress, identify gaps and strengthen collaboration."
"For far too long, the Tijuana River Valley has endured unchecked pollution, jeopardizing our air, water and beaches," Lawson-Remer said in a statement. "It's time to bridge the gaps, build partnerships, and deliver the clean water, clean air, and accountability that our communities deserve."
Lawson-Remer spelled out the following goals for the upcoming meeting:
— have agencies highlight milestones, including the $650 million expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and other infrastructure upgrades;
— enhance public oversight, as a way to ensure transparency around agency actions and ongoing efforts;
— let stakeholders evaluate remaining challenges, and seek out investment and collaboration opportunities; and
— feature updates from Mexican agencies and stakeholders on upstream wastewater repairs, including progress on the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant near Tijuana.
Panelists at the meeting will discuss updates on the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, flood control measures and sediment capture, progress on upstream wastewater repairs and stormwater management south of the U.S. border, strategies to mitigate air and water quality risks in affected communities and pollution cleanup, hazardous substance removal and habitat restoration plans.
Over the past few years, concerns have grown about pollution in the Tijuana River Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border, including sewage spills, contaminated beaches and noxious odors.
A broken wastewater treatment plant in Baja California is considered the main cause.
Lawson-Remer said her big takeaway from a recent county report is that "there's a lot of cooks in this kitchen," including "an alphabet soup" of many agencies, both U.S. and Mexican.
"There is a lot of work going on, but there is also work that isn't happening," said Lawson-Remer, who is also serving as the acting board chair following the departure of former District 1 Supervisor Nora Vargas earlier this month.
Her colleague Joel Anderson suggested that a state and federal delegation needed to be part of the county meeting, and that he be allowed to lead it. Anderson noted the county's portion of affected land is small, compared to the city of San Diego.
Supervisor Jim Desmond said he hoped to see some actionable solutions come out of the spring gathering, and "hopefully, we're not just meeting to meet but actually driving this."
Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said the meeting needs to be a collaborative process. Along with the federal government and state regulatory agencies, it also needs voices from municipal governments, academic institutions, school districts and the community members "that have kept this at the forefront," she said.
Ryan Trabuco of Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre's office said a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control survey found that most people living in the area have "legitimate health concerns, symptoms and quality of life issues stemming directly from this crisis."
The survey results "confirm and validate what our South County neighborhoods have been saying for years: We're not doing well, we're not feeling good and we have been right from the beginning," he added.
