US-Mexico Border

Get information about the Tijuana Valley sewage crisis at a public meeting Tuesday

Tuesday's meeting is an opportunity to hear from the International Boundary Water Commission, which operates one of the plants that treats sewage flowing from Tijuana to San Diego County

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Tuesday, residents looking for information about the sewage crisis that has plagued Imperial Beach and other South Bay coastal communities can hear directly from one of the federal agencies working on the issue.

The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission is holding a public meeting Oct. 29 from 6-8 p.m.

The meeting will be held in person at the Coronado Community Center's Triton Room, 1845 Strand Way in Coronado. It will also be streamed online on the IWBC's website.

At the meeting, IBWC Commissioner Dr. Maria-Elena Giner and staff members will discuss the rehabilitation and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is expected to begin this week.

The IBWC operates the South Bay plant, which is one of the facilities straddling the U.S.-Mexico border responsible for treating sewage that flows through the Tijuana River from Mexico into the United States.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas to discuss the ongoing Tijuana River Valley pollution crisis.

The governor attended a briefing that also included an update on the South Bay plant, which has been partially blamed by county leaders for the sewage outflow at the border. Newsom's office said he toured wastewater treatment facilities on both sides of the border as part of his visit to the region.

Other plants are located in Mexico — but all of the sewer treatment facilities have struggled to keep pace with population growth in Tijuana and damage caused by increasing wastewater flows.

To understand more about the IBWC plant and its relationship to the plants in Mexico, take a look at NBC 7's documentary about the sewage crisis. It's called Toxic Tide, and it's available here on our website.

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