S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. Sewage contamination in the Tijuana River Valley has been an ongoing threat to public health and so much more. Today , we're talking about the growing impact and the latest cleanup efforts. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and engaged with the ongoing effects of sewage and industrial contamination on residents near the Tijuana River Valley are numerous.
S2: It's a public health crisis. It is an environmental ecological crisis , and it is a financial economic crisis as well.
S1: Senator Steve Padilla joins us to talk about a proposed toll to generate money for environmental cleanup. Plus , powerhouse San Diego law firm set their sights on the South Bay sewage crisis. That's ahead on midday Edition. And. The ongoing Tijuana River sewage crisis threatens the health of San Diego and border communities on a daily basis. Bethany Case has lived in Imperial Beach for 16 years. Here she is at a press conference just last week.
S3: This waste causes widespread water and air quality impairments that are making people sick , including myself. It's destroying ecosystems , limiting coastal access and crippling the economy.
S1: While the Tijuana River is considered one of America's most endangered rivers , according to nonprofit American Rivers , well , now leaders are proposing a toll charge in Otay Mesa to raise funds for cleanup efforts. Joining me now is California state Senator Steve Padilla. Senator , welcome to Midday Edition.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: So glad to have you here. So you're proposing a toll charge to fund pollution cleanup projects.
S2: And as you know , that has been the planning and for many , many years and is coming online , I think roughly in 2027 and it will be a toll facility. So state highway , it's important to the binational economy. It's important to move people and goods across the border region , but it also brings impacts to the environment , obviously with more volume and more traffic. And we already know that here in the binational region , we have one of the most acute and unique and disastrous environmental public health disasters happening in our own backyard. And that is we have transboundary cross-boundary , biological , untreated sewage flows. We have contaminants , industrial and commercial that are coming into the watershed. And we're learning through science more and more recently that not only are those degrading resources and the water quality , but it's impacting the air quality , and people are breathing it in different substances that are not healthy. And so it's it's a public health crisis. It is an environmental ecological crisis. And it is a financial economic crisis as well. So I introduced my first bill on the first day of the session , SB ten , which would specifically and clearly amend the act to make it clear that you could sandag San Diego Association of Governments and folks that administer and collect that toll revenue to pay for the infrastructure and the maintenance of it , would be able to collect toll and add an element of that , that they could negotiate and put those funds towards environmental fixes and towards environmental remediation. That's what SB ten does.
S1: Well , you know , certainly hearing you talk , there's a lot at stake here.
S2: It's it's not , uh , degrading or removing any resources for the infrastructure that's so important for the economy and to move goods and people across. It simply very clearly states that it's permissive language. It's not a mandate , but it says , look , you can negotiate and assess an element of toll here. And it's probably a good policy , I would argue , because with more volume and more impact on the region , with more crossings , you're going to contribute to degradation to resources in the in the watershed as well as air quality. And we ought to be paying attention to the obvious elephant in the room , which is right there , which is a situation that , no , frankly , nowhere else in North America is dealing with , where you have cross boundary flows because of the infrastructure still catching up on the raw sewage issue. And you also have commercial industrial runoff , and it's all mixing together in sort of this toxic soup in the same place at one time. And , you know , the reality is it's it's affecting communities that historically , in decades past were under underserved , underinvested communities of color , often without economic and political power. And so it's it is a public health emergency and as well as an environmental , ecological and an economic problem that that is acute and needs to be addressed now. And so , you know , the federal government has a big role to play here. They're making great progress in getting funding allocated. In the last two cycles alone , we're up to over $450 million in new federal supplemental funding. Uh , the International Boundary Water Commission on the US side is upgrading facility treatment facilities on the US side. That's really important. But the reality is even the new facilities are not designed to full capacity demand that goes out more than half a century. So even the new stuff that we're building is not being built to to meet the demand that we anticipate many years from now. So we're still playing catch up , but we need to have every tool in the toolbox. And so SB ten puts on the table another possible , uh , revenue source that can also be used because folks , maybe your listeners don't know , but it's sort of crazy to learn that there is no permanent long term funding source for the treatment infrastructure in the border region , uh , for infrastructure or for operation and maintenance. It's just subject to the federal budget cycle. So , you know , we know the politics that get played there and there's been good partnership there , but there is no permanent , long term sustainable source except in increments. And I think that the state needs to step up as well. And we're trying to put as many tools in the toolbox as we can.
S1:
S2: Right. And each party , you know , has a responsibility to address the treatment and flow and impacts. Uh , it came out of an agreement between the two countries. And so it takes a great degree of cooperation. But obviously Mexico is a sovereign country. Uh , and so we have to have that element of cooperation. There has been great cooperation. Uh , there is a comprehensive a solution towards addressing these infrastructure needs. A few years ago , by both sides that estimated just under $1 billion in demand in terms of the infrastructure that would be needed to handle capacity. Uh , and we're nowhere near completely funding all of that or getting that on track. So making great strides. I want to be fair. We're making great strides , but it takes time. But there's a long way to go. And so I think it's important again to have every possible tool that could be utilized available.
S1: So there's really no example to follow in terms of of where there's this ongoing funding for something like this.
S2: It depends on , you know , how you leverage funding , how you do it project by project. Um , what the federal government will allocate in the in the budget cycles that get ironed out , uh , as part of the federal budget process. So it is , um , something that wasn't , I think , put together to have its own independent , ongoing , reliable source of revenue , which is kind of interesting when you think about how important it is to make sure that we have adequate infrastructure and that we're funding its own operations and maintenance over the long term.
S1:
S2: And you want it to be effective , and you have to make sure it's maintained and funded and operated. I think historically , look , I've been very clear about this. You know , sadly , this is a part of the state that often is not understood. It's not understood for how important it is to the North American export economy. It's not understood for the beauty of the , you know , people who live in this region understand the binational region and how valuable it is culturally and economically and otherwise , because to us it's just normal. And people move back and forth across the border every day and contribute to our economy. Mexico is the number one trading partner. We co-produced more than 40% of exports with Mexico. There's an important partner for our economy , and I think we continue to struggle with the fact that a lot of folks in California , even today , don't appreciate the value of the binational region , number one , and they don't appreciate the severity of the problem on the ground. And frankly , because of historically , this being a poor community of color , it's never had historically the economic and political power that it does today. Um , you know , it has not always been the priority and it's been overlooked. And so , you know , I've been very clear in saying that if this same situation were shutting down beaches for two years at a stretch in other parts of California's coast , this would probably be a much higher priority. And I think that's unfortunate. But it is true , and we can acknowledge that and we can still move forward. But we have to acknowledge that as a reality and we have to build on that and do better.
S1: Well , the bill gives specific authority to sandag to implement a toll , as you mentioned. How will it be enforced ? I mean , you've stressed the need for urgent action here. Why not make this a mandate ? Mhm.
S2: One step at a time I think , you know , focusing on solutions and uh getting collaboration with all of the parties that will need right. Both on the toll agreement on getting sandag to you know , I mean we've tried to make it simple , right. And that's part of the reason why it's not a mandate. Right. Let's give people options. Uh , let's encourage collaboration. Let's look through the logistical challenges that may be presented by this. I don't believe it's rocket science to say , you know , you've got an architecture that exists about and an existing statute that says what you can utilize this for. And we're simply saying , here is another area that is an obvious , important , critical demand that you can also add a component to and negotiate and , and do it. I mean , I think the city of Imperial Beach recently , under the leadership of Mayor Paloma Aguirre , who has been amazing on this issue , uh , did a rough estimate that if you added , uh , 1% on the existing framework , you could generate something like 25 million annually. I have an independently looked at those numbers , but I think the point is pretty clear. Um , you could put that in , uh , what the negotiated suite of , of tolling would be , uh , do it in an equitable way and , and have a good source of potential revenue to help provide another revenue stream to address these issues.
S1: I think many would say that taking it one step at a time and encouraging collaboration is a very diplomatic approach.
S2: Right ? I mean , if that doesn't work , then we're happy to take different approaches. Right. But I think that I think most folks understand that we're all paying a price for this , uh , some of the people who can afford it the least are paying a personal health price. I mean , this is showing up in emergency departments and community clinics and people's doctor's offices , uh , with respiratory illnesses and unique illnesses that are popping up. We're just beginning to understand the science about this. Now that this is not something that's just a water quality problem , that this is becoming aerosolized in the in the air column , people are breathing this stuff into their lungs. Um , we are trying to get ahead of that and on top of it , but we're going to pay a price for this. And so I think all folks understand that there needs to be solutions and there needs to be solutions quickly. And , uh , so , yeah , I mean , it's it's tough work and it will require some renegotiating , it will require some additional work. But that's you know , frankly , that's our responsibility. We're supposed to be looking out for the public welfare here. And so I think if folks are prepared to say , well , this will you know , this will be difficult or tough or we'll have to renegotiate elements of it , or it's too hard or it's too , you know , okay , but that's your job. And that's what we were , you know , that's that's what we're here to do is to address these issues. And we have a framework in place that we can build upon that can add some benefit here , and we ought to take that opportunity.
S1: Coming up , we continue our conversation with Senator Steve Padilla about the sewage crisis in the South Bay.
S2: It's heartbreaking to me personally , and of course , frustrating that it's gotten to this point. And it's taken , frankly , a lot of screaming and yelling to get people to really focus on it here.
S1: More when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition , I'm Jade Hindman. Billions of gallons of sewage and untreated wastewater flowing through the Tijuana River have harmed the health of South Bay residents. We've been discussing a new bill from State Senator Steve Padilla that would allow revenues from a toll on vehicles to help environmental cleanup. So far , political support for the plan is hard to reconcile. I'm speaking with Senator Padilla now , and I want to move along to discuss a petition under review by the EPA. South Bay residents want them to evaluate whether the Tijuana River Valley is eligible for a Superfund designation. For those who don't know , that process allows the EPA to identify and respond to hazardous sites. You've called this problem one of the most pressing public health and environmental disasters in North America.
S2: And certainly the state of California has a process where the Department of Toxic Substances Control can also make findings and open up areas. And there are many of them in California , probably , that folks would even be aware of that can be designated to open up resources. I mean , all hands on deck , every potential opportunity that we can take advantage of to address this critical problem needs we need to avail ourselves of. And so we need to be very clear minded about being sure we understand all the implications , but certainly if there is benefit there. I've prepared a correspondence to the department to ask them to to look at making these findings at the state level as well , which I will be forwarding. So , you know , the short answer is yes. I mean , again , I've said all along this is a severe crisis that has festered for too long , and it is a time for all hands on deck.
S1: Why hasn't that already been a designated Superfund site.
S2: Good question. There we go. Really good question. I mean , you know , it is unique , right ? I mean , where in North America do you , you know , do you have this kind of volume overrunning infrastructure , crossing boundaries , shutting down beaches for years at a time ? Um , now we're beginning to see some of the public health impacts of it. We know the economic impacts of it. And , you know , in fairness , these issues are not things you just flip a switch and solve overnight. But they're also not new issues. And they weren't issues that weren't anticipated yet. A lot of explosive growth , particularly south of the border in Baja. To be candid , that just happens so quickly that it got way ahead of the existing infrastructure there , which was already problematic. So you have infrastructure that's nonexistent , doesn't have capacity to handle that new demand , new , you know , new population explosive growth. We have a reiteration of trade agreement that enables more and I think overall valuable , uh , continental trade , which is important to our economy. But there are impacts to that. And we were a little bit behind the ball. And so we have we have some catching up to do.
S1: Well , millions of dollars have been invested towards fixes to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment plant. But it's not just the plant.
S2: You know , I'm going to I'm not letting go of this. Right. I mean , as you said at the beginning of the opening , that we know that the Tijuana River watershed is one of the most sensitive , distressed in North America. Um , and it affects a lot of area. I had a bill last year. Unfortunately , it was held in a probes that dealt with expanding on title for the Water Act in California , which , you know , makes , uh , businesses , corporate entities , industrial entities that are licensed to do business in California , that sell product in California that may produce stuff outside the boundaries of California , but contribute to polluting the California waterways to have to account for that. Unfortunately , that bill did not make its way through , but I think we need to get our eye , our arms around who's doing what and where. Right. There are entities that are producing products sold in California , outside the boundaries of California , and sometimes intentionally so that they avoid tighter environmental regulations that we have here in California. And we're paying the price for those impacts with our health and health care costs and our environment and our air quality , water quality. But we're not necessarily holding all those folks accountable , and we need to hold them accountable. There was a recent proposal on , you know , to put a landfill , the second one in South County in the Tijuana River watershed , which would just exacerbate the problem , uh , on a variety of levels , environmentally , from an environmental justice standpoint , on and on and on. And that bill , we moved all the way through the legislature to the floor of the Assembly. We frankly had the votes in the Assembly , but because of political gamesmanship , we weren't able to bring that up for a final vote in the Assembly and get it off the floor. I believe the governor would have signed that bill. Uh , so there's just a lot of , you know , old habits about thinking first about profitability and thinking about the short term and not thinking about the long term health of the community that we need to be vigilant about. So holding corporate polluters accountable , making sure that people aren't doing stupid things in the Tijuana River watershed , again for their own benefit at the to the detriment of the community , and that we're making sure we're bringing every resource to bear , uh , local , state , federal , uh , to address this issue because it harms our quality of life across the board.
S1:
S2: But suffice to say that we , you know , look , you know , having co-production across boundaries and doing , you know , workforce development across the international boundary and sharing the burden of helping the North American export economies , all important. But at the same time , it shouldn't come with folks who are doing business , uh , on purpose in a way that allows them to to kind of be a little light on their responsibilities to the environment and contributing to the problem. And I think that we start with collecting that data. We know there are folks producing , uh , that are doing business in California , selling products in California. Uh , but producing stuff on the Mexican side for a reason. And we got to get our arms around that. Um , that's just being responsible , right ? And it's contributing. I mean , people forget it's not just the biological effluent. It's not just the biological stuff that untreated sewage that's coming across. It is also , uh , you know , industrial commercial runoff as well. That's all kind of mixing together , uh , people putting a lot of rubber and tire , you know , just stuff getting dumped down there and all of that stuff combines to really degrade the water and air quality. Mhm.
S1: And let's bring this conversation back to the people.
S2: People are concerned and very frustrated. I mean , you know , there are constituents of mine in the nester community near , you know , the estuary that because of , you know , things settle in the middle of the night. You know , we have our marine layer here in San Diego overnight. Sometimes the atmospheric conditions are such that , um , there are we're learning hydrogen sulfide is getting emitted from areas here where there's a lot of contamination , uh , that's been measured sometimes in levels that are not good for human consumption. Particularly in the early early morning hours. And it has to do with barometric pressure and other little stuff. That's not my wheelhouse. I am not I am not a meteorologist. But the experts do tell me that that is what the case is. And literally we have folks that are , you know , sealing off their homes , uh , so tightly to avoid having any of that stuff come into the house , that they're creating a different problem and that they're not cross ventilating their house properly. So the CO2 , you know , they're causing another problem by not having proper ventilation. Uh , so there are people who are and have been for too long , quietly suffering , uh , with a variety of issues , not just the odor , but what they're bringing in , you know , breathing in and the health , you know , detriment that that brings. And , uh , and we're only learning more and more about it as we speak.
S1:
S2: You know , I grew up I'm a native of San Diego. I grew up in South Bay. I grew up hanging out down by Imperial Beach and Camp Surf , and I know that community well. I grew up with friends there , and it's it's devastating to see people not having access to the coast and to the water and to be able to enjoy the surf and , uh , businesses that are , you know , little mom and pop shops that are , that depend on people coming into town for their livelihood , that are not able to survive , people who've , you know , bought retirement homes , uh , near the coast , uh , down there that are now rethinking , you know , what are they going to do ? What are they going to sell ? Are they going to move somewhere else ? I mean , I think it's it's heartbreaking to me personally and of course , frustrating that it's gotten to this point. And it's taken , frankly , a lot of screaming and yelling to get people to really focus on it.
S1: And when you tell me that , you know , people have purchased retirement homes near the coast down there , that brings me back to something that you said and , and that is that this area has historically been a poor area.
S2: I mean , you have a coastal region , a binational region on the Pacific Rim. You have amazing diversity of amazing primary infrastructure , particularly for transportation and mobility. You have great assets in the region on both sides. I mean , you would think on the surface that this , you know , there's so many great attributes to the Cali Baja binational region. At the same time , when we have these kinds of festering issues that aren't adequately addressed , it kind of becomes like a scarlet letter to some folks , right ? And people get a perception that , oh , the binational region , the border is bad. Put it in the rearview mirror as quickly as you can. Uh , and it's sad because people then don't see the actual value to our economy , to our culture , to the rich history that is there. That's positive. Right ? And so there's a lot of ignorance about how important this region is to California's economy and America's economy because of this sort of , you know , scarlet letter , right , border bad immigration issues. And they're and look , I'm going to be clear , there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed , no doubt about it. Um , and this is clearly the number one. Right. Because we're talking about people's health and well-being. Um , but yeah , that's frustrating and disappointing. But we're working hard again , as with SB ten and other measures and working hard with local and our federal partners , um , just to collaborate with whomever we can to make sure we're bringing everything to bear to address this problem.
S1: Well , at the statewide level , Governor Gavin Newsom has convened a special session to Trump proof the state's progressive policies.
S2: I think no matter what your party affiliation , you ought to understand that this part of the state is vital to the North American export economy. And that's not a partisan issue at all. And I think I am Hope , I am hoping , and I would like to hope , that everyone at every level is going to be focused on solutions.
S1:
S2: That bill will go to the Rules Committee , and then sometime in January , they'll get assigned out to a policy committee and start working its way through the legislative process.
S1: All right. Well , I've been speaking with California State Senator Steve Padilla. Senator , thank you so much.
S2: Thank you for having me. Really appreciate it.
S1: I'm So glad to have you here. Yeah. Still to come , powerhouse San Diego law firms set sights on the South Bay sewage crisis with a lawsuit.
S4: So it says that because of how Veolia mismanaged its portion of the sewage , it exposed South Bay residents to all sorts of toxic chemicals.
S1: More on that when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman as we continue our discussion about the Tijuana River sewage crisis , we look at ongoing legal challenges for lawsuits , now accused the contractor running the treatment plant on the U.S. Mexico border of mismanagement. The latest accuses them of illegally discharging hazardous chemicals into the river. Joining me now to discuss this is Philip Salata. He's the environment and energy reporter at I. News source Philip , welcome to midday Edition.
S4: Hello , Jade. It's great to be here.
S1: It's great to have you. So. A mass tort case was opened last month against Veolia Water West and its manager , Mark Whitacre.
S4: That's the sewage treatment plant just on the border. It was built in the 90s and Veolia has run the plant since 1998. So more than 20 years now , it pipes sewage from Tijuana , treats it and sends it down a pipe a little over three miles offshore into the Pacific Ocean. So Veolia is the company responsible for this plant and this process , it's worth zooming out a little bit. Um , just for a little bit of context , which I think it's important to preface with. So , so what is the sewage crisis. Right. And and also why is there a US treatment plant dealing with the sewage that is coming from Tijuana ? Um , so I mean , the first part is a little bit more obvious. So the Tijuana River watershed has a footprint on both sides of the border , right. The river touches both the United States. Tijuana ends up back in the United States and pours out into the ocean. Uh , but the other one really goes back decades. It's a historical question , right ? It's with how Tijuana has expanded as a city , which kind of dates back to the prohibition times , where you have American , US , American entrepreneurs starting businesses there and workers coming to work at those businesses. And there was this first bubble , uh , and then there is also NAFTA , which , uh , the North American Free Trade Agreement , where U.S. and multinational companies could build out industry and profit in Tijuana , and this brought even more workers to the area. And Tijuana expanded yet again. So the basic point is that Tijuana's growth has outpaced the the growth of its infrastructure , which has meant that a lot of Tijuana's sewage ended up flowing down its canyons into the river , crossing back over the border into the US and opening up into the estuary that's there , and then right , right up against South Bay neighborhoods. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , okay , so then let's bring it back to the latest lawsuit. In a mass tort , multiple people file against a defendant for similar injuries.
S4: So it says that because of how Veolia mismanaged its portion of the sewage , it exposed South Bay residents to all sorts of toxic chemicals. Hydrogen sulfide is one of them. It's the big one that's been a big topic lately , but also others potentially stemming from industrial sewage from Tijuana. A lot of studies are being carried out still to figure out what all of those chemicals are. But some that are named in the lawsuit are DDT , benzene , which is a chemical used in making dyes and other plastics. And then there's one more , um , point to all of this. It says that these chemicals have affected the health of South Bay residents , many of whom have been complaining about headaches , gastrointestinal issues , asthma , other respiratory issues. Brain fog even. It's saying basically that Veolia is mismanagement of its portion of the sewage has affected local businesses as well. Yeah.
S1: Well , so you laid out what some of the symptoms of exposure to these chemicals are.
S4: There are a lot of unknowns. Right. And so , uh , a lot of the scientists who are there carrying out research in the summer , we're saying , well , it's quite unfortunate that we're looking at a community that's basically experiencing these effects right now and are in some way , you know , by default , the experiment.
S1: Can you talk about how widespread this pollution is ? You know , when we talk about it , we talk about like Imperial Beach and , um , maybe San Isidro.
S4: Uh , what we do know is that there were certain hotspots that the scientists identified during the summer , uh , specifically around Saturn Boulevard , where there was a kind of churning sewage that was aerosolized a lot of these pollutants , and they were measuring very persistently high hydrogen sulfide numbers at that time. And then they also had around , you know , a further radius of a couple of miles away from that hot spot. They were also measuring hydrogen sulfide levels consistently lower than in the hot spots , but enough to trigger their concern that what does it mean when people are affected by those gases over a long period of time ? Right. So we have regulation around people in workspaces being affected by hydrogen sulfide and how long they can be affected by it. There are regulations for that , but long term periods for open air , uh , in an open air situation among a community that's not regulated yet , we don't quite have the the tools to speak to that yet. So the studies that come out will be very important to help us understand , well.
S1:
S4: It's a San Diego based law firm that works nationwide. It's it's a law firm that's been involved in litigation all over California. For example , uh , it recently won a lawsuit with PG and E , along with other partnering firms on cases regarding fires in Northern California in 2017 , 2018. And it's also now involved in similar lawsuits related with fire in Hawaii. Right now , those cases are also were all mass tort cases. Wow.
S1: Wow. That's sounds like a big law firm there.
S4: But France says he's expecting the number to grow to hundreds. He even said maybe thousands. But for now , time will tell. And there's also another mass tort against Veolia , started just a month or so before by another law firm , Singleton. Schreiber , also San Diego based , working nationally and locally. And France even said when I spoke with him that sometimes in cases like this , when there are several different law firms filing the same kind of case in the same court , it may be that they work together to strengthen their cases , but it's really too early to tell if anything like that's going to happen. Hmm.
S1: Well , I understand that one of the lawyers on the case is also a plaintiff. What can you tell me about her ? Yes.
S4: Her name is Kristin Westfall. She's an IB resident , Imperial Beach resident , and she and her family have all experienced the symptoms that the lawsuit alleges. Right. So headaches and nausea and gastrointestinal issues. She said that one of the things that triggered her to think about being a plaintiff in the lawsuit was when the scientists , who are carrying out studies in the Tijuana River earlier this year temporarily pulled out their own scientists from the area , fearing the dangers in in the river and the pollution from the river. And she said , well , you know , if the scientists can't be around , why should my children be bearing those difficulties as well ? Wow.
S1: Well , I mean , with scientists being pulled away from this environment , why hasn't that triggered an automatic Superfund site ? Right.
S4: And that's the million dollar question. Right. And I do think it's important to specify that , uh , at that moment when the scientists pulled out of the river valley , uh , it was because of their personal safety protection devices that were triggered , uh , signifying that potentially there was the presence of this other , even more toxic chemical. It turned out that it was triggered because of high levels of hydrogen sulfide , which is a dangerous chemical as well , especially when people are exposed to it for a longer period of time. So perhaps it wasn't the , you know , the the most critical pull out now kind of situation , but it did suggest that those hydrogen sulfide levels were high enough that we should be thinking about what are the long term impacts on a community that's exposed to them on a daily basis.
S1:
S4: Right. And it's I mean , from here on out , for me , it's a little bit of supposing why that's going on. You know , Governor Gavin Newsom has not declared the state of emergency. And currently mayor of Imperial Beach , Paloma Aguirre. She is about to go to the to Washington , D.C. , once again with a bipartisan delegation to advocate for more funds to come here to the region to fix the plant , grow the plant , and also address this problem ever more at large. Right. Um , so just a couple of weeks ago , President Biden added $310 million to a disaster relief package that Congress is going to have to approve. So for that reason , Mayor Aguirre and this delegation will be going to insist that that happens. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And , well , and we just you talk about the mayor of Imperial Beach. We just spoke with Steve Padilla , Senator Steve Padilla. Um , local lawmakers are on this. They're advocating for more money.
S4: The plan is that it will deal with twice the amount at 50. But you know , the problem extends way beyond those 50 billion gallons a day. And I think what's also a needed part of this puzzle is that Mexican authorities carry out the projects that are currently underway to get their own sewage treatment plants back online. But , you know , here we're dealing with a question that is really specific to the different entities that are in charge here , right ? There are there's a federal entity running this treatment plant. It's vying for federal dollars to be put aside to grow out the plant. But the question is , what is the state doing to also pour resources into this problem ? And I think from what I understand , this could be a potential great source of funds and even a specific mitigation fund for the river itself , which would have money flowing in over time , which is not something this area has seen. So there are a lot of hopes lying on it and it could be a potential great stream. It could potentially be a great revenue stream.
S1: Yeah , well , it sounds very promising. Uh , okay. So I want to get back to the lawsuit , and I'm curious to know what Veolia has said in response to it.
S4: So they say that the problem is much bigger than anything that they've ever been in charge of. Uh , the company spokesperson for Veolia said that it's because of these unprecedented flows from Tijuana that this problem is a problem to begin with , not because of what Veolia is doing in charge of their portion of the sewage issue. Uh , and he's saying also that the plant has been underfunded for many years from by the federal government and that they've been trapped. Right. Um , He he even said to me something that really struck , which he said that we were trapped between a Mexican rock and an American hard place. Right. And so that's how they see themselves positioned in all of that. And they also see themselves as a partner with the federal government , ready to , you know , comply , build out their resources as is needed and as the funding comes in. The spokesperson also took a swing at attorneys bringing forth the legal claims. He's basically saying that it's dishonest rhetoric from opportunistic lawyers. Those were his words. Right. So and that their claims are baseless. There is quite a a facing off now between the allegations and what the company believes that it's responsible for.
S1: Some of your earlier reporting this year drew connections between this , um , this pollution crisis and the water crisis in Flint , Michigan.
S4: Right. They were hired by Flint to review its water quality and its treatment process and its distribution system. After the city switched the water supply to the Flint River. So they were consulting on this situation. Now , the lawsuit against them that they settled for $25 million , um , accused the company of failing to give the city the advice that could have protected the residents from the contaminated drinking water. Um , so that's that's kind of where that lawsuit stands , right ? So they didn't cause the problem. But according to the lawsuit , they didn't provide the information in the way that was needed to avert the problem.
S1: Well , you know , as we know , South Bay officials have been calling on the federal government to declare the sewage crisis a state of emergency , as you mentioned earlier.
S4: There's so many unknowns that we're going to be faced with now. But I mean , I can say that local leaders and advocates who I've talked to , who have been calling on the state of emergency , are really frustrated that it hasn't been declared yet. And many say that Governor Newsom has fallen short and that he hasn't recognized the severity of the problem. And , you know , he's not met them with with he's not met their calls. In terms of the new administration , from the folks that I've talked with. You know , they're really thinking of this question in a very bipartisan way and , well , in some way , a very apolitical way. Right. There is a problem that needs to be dealt with. And when there are fresh ears , they're ready to go and speak to those folks and , and make their case for it and their frustrations with the ears who have heard their calls for quite some time and not answered them , has led them to think , well , okay , next steps , new folks. Let's go ahead. Go back and keep speaking about what we feel is needed and hope that this new equation potentially brings us , brings us the resources that we need now critically to resolve the issue and to think in terms of long term solutions to a problem that now is decades long. Yeah.
S5: Yeah.
S1: All right , Philip , before I let you go , what does the timeline look like in this latest case against Veolia.
S4: So right. It's very early to tell right now , but , um , it'll probably be a year or so , maybe a little bit more. As the France law group grows out , its case searches for plaintiffs. I mean , this master idea is basically like to lay out , uh , cast a wide net for plaintiffs and to find as many people who have been affected by this problem as possible , and that that will surely take a little time. But , you know , they're already growing and the timeline will look something like that , probably about a year or so before we'll see more concrete steps.
S1: Well , I've been speaking with Philip Salata. He's the environment and energy reporter at Inews source. Philip , thank you so much for joining us. And I know this is something we'll will continue to follow for a long time.
S4: Thank you. Jade. It has been a pleasure speaking with you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
