There’s mixed messages from the federal government on the sewage crisis at the border. The EPA is now promising to take the problems head on. NBC 7’s Dave Summers reports.
At first, the Imperial Beach mayor was refused a Superfund site designation. Now, the EPA is promising to take the problems head on.
An old problem greets the new EPA administrator.
“I can’t get in the water. Its very frustrating. I live right here and cannot go in the water,” parent Oscar Soliz said.
Oscar Soliz and wife Patty Soliz are drawn to the beauty but turned off by the failure to keep the Tijuana River Valley clean.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“Just getting out of your house, sometimes. We live in San Ysidro, and we smell it all the way over there," Patty Soliz said.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said on Monday that the new EPA Chief Lee Zeldon, for the second time, denied her a Superfund site designation based on old data from unreliable sources.
“We now have empirical evidence from scientists from four different universities stating that yes, indeed, the soil, the water, the air is all contaminated," Aguirre said.
Local
It’s not just the cross-border human waste but toxic chemicals from new industries operating in Mexico polluting the valley and ocean.
The Superfund site program was created to make the polluters pay for the cleanup. It has been so weighted down by litigation and delays that the refusal of a Superfund site designation may very well be a blessing in disguise.
“Whether it's through the Superfund site designation, whether it is through a state of emergency declaration or whether through other remediation mechanisms, we don’t care. We need someone to take action,” Aguirre said.
Aguirre wants Zeldin to come and see for himself. She may get her wish.
In a letter penned by Democrat Congressman Scott Peters, sent on Wednesday, Peters along with Congressman Juan Vargas and Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are requesting Zeldin visit the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“We want to make sure that Administrator Zeldon understands fully the harm that this pollution is causing,” Aguirre said.
In part of a response emailed to NBC 7 on Wednesday afternoon, Zeldin seemed to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Mexican government.
“The time when excuses, delays, or exceptions are tolerated is over. EPA will ramp up our efforts with all other involved agencies on both sides of the border to confront this crisis head on,” Zeldin wrote.
“They desalinate the water. Why can’t they do this? Put it on the Superfund. Get to work, and let's get it going," Oscar Soliz said.
“I hope whoever can do something about it, I hope they do,“ Patty Soliz said.
Also in his response, Zeldin promised a visit to the area to see it firsthand, talk with elected officials and implement permanent solutions.
