Crews broke ground this spring on new pump stations and river gates meant to curb Tijuana sewage flows, but two pipeline collapses in May were a reminder of how fragile the existing system remains, according to the latest binational progress report.
A quarterly report released this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission outlined construction progress, funding releases, and challenges as the U.S. and Mexico work to address the decades-long Tijuana sewage crisis.
The EPA released a batch of previously committed infrastructure funds after Mexico met its obligations under a 2025 agreement between the two countries — freeing Mexico to begin construction on two new projects aimed at reducing sewage flows into the Tijuana River.
Mexico broke ground April 27 on the first of these projects: Pump Station 1, which is intended to eliminate catastrophic discharge risk and boost pumping capacity to 80 million gallons per day. Completion is expected in November 2027.
Work is also underway on the Tijuana River Gates project, which is expected to keep at least 5 million gallons per day (MGD) of sewage out of the river. Its first phase should wrap by mid-July, with the second phase, still in procurement, targeted for completion in January 2027.
At the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP), the IBWC is doing early-stage site prep and procuring long-lead equipment ahead of an expansion that would take treatment capacity to 50 MGD. Separately, rehabilitation of the Parallel Gravity Line — meant to stop ruptures that send sewage into border canyons — is on track for completion in August.
That line’s vulnerability showed itself twice in May. A rupture reported May 14 was repaired within two days; a second collapse on May 31 took until June 4 to fix. Both sent excess flows to SBIWTP.
During these ruptures, the IBWC deployed additional staff and equipment to treat more than 40 MGD and kept the flows from reaching San Diego. Commissioner Chad McIntosh said he pressed his Mexican counterpart, Adriana Reséndez, for round-the-clock repairs during both incidents.
Mexico, having exceeded its 2026 funding commitment, has several additional rehabilitation projects moving through construction or procurement: the Poniente, Oriente, and Carranza interceptor/collector rehabilitation projects are under construction with December completion dates. The Insurgentes Collector rehabilitation began construction June 29, and two pump station projects — PB-Matadero and Laureles PB-2 — remain in procurement.
Mexico also finished a sediment basin at Matadero Canyon in May ahead of the rainy season, a binational operations-and-maintenance working group continues developing long-term maintenance strategy, and officials are scoping both a mass-balance flow analysis of the Tijuana water system and a real-time binational monitoring system for river flows.
“As this update shows,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement, “we’re continuing our relentless pace in ensuring that Mexico meets its funding commitments, that projects are being built on the tightest possible timelines, and that actions are being taken to plan for future population growth in the region. Safeguarding human health and the environment is EPA’s foremost responsibility, and we are committed to ensuring that every American has clean air, land, and water.”
Still, Coronado’s beaches remain closed. The current closure began in early June, while Imperial Beach has faced closures since October 2025. To check current beach closures, click here.
