San Diego Congressional Delegation and Local Officials Highlight USMCA Funding to Address Tijuana River Valley Pollution
Chula Vista, CA – Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Levin (CA-49), Susan Davis (CA-53), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Scott Peters (CA-52), and local officials held a press conference highlighting new federal funding they secured in the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) for the Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP), which will address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley (TRV). The Congressional delegation was joined by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, and others.
“I’m proud to announce once again that we have successfully secured 300 million dollars under the Border Water Infrastructure Program to aggressively address the cross border pollution from the Tijuana River Valley,” said Rep. Levin. “This historic achievement is an example of how Democrats and Republicans can work together to solve even the most challenging local and regional issues. While securing this funding was an historic accomplishment, our work is far from over. We must now make sure that the 300 million in USMCA gets to our region without delay, and also that Mexico makes robust investments on their side of the border to further mitigate pollution flowing into the region. I look forward to working with my colleagues here, as well as other local, state and federal officials until this issue is finally solved.”
“San Diego cannot truly be “America’s Finest City” if our beaches are closed much of the time,” said Rep. Davis. “This is a very promising day for our community. We are a step closer to making beach closures a thing of the past.“
"Communities in my district are the most affected by transboundary sewage flows," said Rep. Vargas. “This is why I’m proud that we negotiated and secured funding in the USMCA implementing legislation to combat this issue. Funding border water infrastructure is an important part of mitigating the overall cross-border pollution problem."
“Provisions in the USMCA will help us take first steps towards solving one of the largest environmental problems Coronado and the rest of the South Bay community faces today,” said Rep. Peters. “The water contamination crisis on our coastline will only end with reliable funding dedicated to the issue. With the signing of this agreement, our two nations will commit to clean up the Tijuana River Valley, with efforts supported by a massive funding investment. It is a significant victory for our region, and the result of successful delegation teamwork.”
“San Diego’s economy is built for 21st century trade, and now the United States is as well with the signing of the new USMCA,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “The future is bright for the thousands of local families and businesses whose economic opportunities grow every time we trade with Mexico and Canada. The San Diego region gets two historic wins for the price of one now that a fix for the environmental crisis at the Tijuana River Valley is linked to the USMCA agreement. I’d like to thank San Diego’s congressional delegation and local leaders for ensuring that San Diego’s priorities were front and center every step of the way. We worked together across jurisdictions and party lines to secure a better future for the San Diego region.”
“I am grateful to our San Diego Congressional Delegation and Senator Feinstein for helping to secure federal funding to build sewage diversion infrastructure in the Tijuana River Valley,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina. “Now, more than ever, it is critical that we fast-track those funds and build the infrastructure immediately so we can stop the plague of sewage that is ruining ocean water quality and severely impacting public health in south San Diego.”
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