A pipeline used to send wastewater from Tijuana to the a treatment plant in San Diego ruptured Feb. 10, the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) reports.
The rupture sent sewage into and through Stewart’s Drain, but no wastewater reached the Tijuana River channel due to efforts from the USIBWC and its contractors Veolia and INBODE.
The transboundary flow was stopped using portable pumps and vacuum trucks, and ultimately lasted from approximately 5 a.m. until 6:30 a.m. The ruptured pipe was repaired by 9 a.m.
The incident occurred as the IBWC finalized repairs of Junction Box 1 (JB-1), which is part of a network of infrastructure that carries wastewater from Tijuana to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in San Diego. The ruptured pipe was a bypass around JB-1 that allowed for its repair.
The IBWC had placed backup pumps inside Stewart’s Drain to capture potential flows, but the flow from the ruptured line and other transboundary flows into the collector overwhelmed the pumps.
Approximately 36,000 gallons passed the weir, a low dam just north of Stewart’s Drain, but did not reach the Tijuana River channel. The IBWC is still calculating the amount of wastewater that was recovered.
The incident did not impact the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Meanwhile, Coronado’s beaches remain closed due to elevated bacteria levels in coastal waters. The Silver Strand shoreline has been closed since Dec. 24, 2025, while the Coronado Shoreline (from Avenida Lunar to North Beach) has been closed since Dec. 30, 2025.
Check current beach closures here. Find more coverage of the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis here.
