Projects are underway to stop the raw sewage from Tijuana Raw that has been dumped into the Pacific Ocean for decades, although some of them are taking longer than expected.
Armed with just over $700 billion in federal funding that has been allocated over the last two years, the International Wastewater and Boundary Commission (IBWC) is repairing its long failing infrastructure in a series of projects that, once completed, are expected to reduce the flow of sewage into the ocean by up to 90%.
The sewage has prompted health and environmental concerns, a lingering stench that hangs over South Bay residences, and lengthy beach closures.
Our last update on these projects was published in July 2024. Here’s where the projects stand now.
South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant Compliance
The IBWC is no longer violating the Clean Water Act, said Frank Fisher, public affairs officer for the commission.
Under the Clean Water Act, no pollutants may be discharged into water in the United States without a permit. The IBWC holds such a permit, but if fell out of compliance due to the strained infrastructure at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP).
As of Nov. 2024, the plant is back in compliance.
In addition to reaching compliance with its discharge permit, three of the plant’s primary sedimentation tanks were online as of Jan. 7. The fourth was expected to be online by the end of that week, Fisher said, with the fifth and final online the following week.
The tanks serve to remove solid waste and sediment from influent wastewater before it is treated. Three are meant to be operating at all times, with the other two working as redundancies. However, the tanks have faced ongoing issues as they are overloaded with sediment and other waste.
For example, last summer, the IBWC turned on a newly repaired tank on June 7. Three days later, it was overrun with sediment and failed. Then, on July 3, another tank was repaired and turned on, before a chain snapped on July 16.
Repairing and expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) and its affiliated infrastructure is the largest and most important of the IBWC’s efforts to address the ongoing sewage crisis.
In October, the IBWC launched a $600-million project to not only repair the plant’s myriad issues, but also, to double its treatment capacity from 25 million gallons per day (MGD) to a 50 MGD average flow, with peak flow capacity at 75 MGD.
The full project could take up to five years to complete, but it’s being designed as its built in effort to expedite the process.
The IBWC said the plant fell into disrepair due to limited funding. Its budget for construction was about $211 million in 2022, more than double its 2019 budget of around $103 million.
Between 2010 and 2021, about $4 million total was invested into the treatment plant. The IBWC does not only oversee sewage infrastructure related to Tijuana’s issues; it manages levees, dams, and sanitation along the entire US-Mexico border.
Hollister Wastewater Pump Station
The pump station that is responsible for transferring sewage from Tijuana to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing failed on Jan. 1, causing a spill of an estimated 30,000 gallons of sewage. Of that, 20,000 was recovered.
Since then, the facility has been offline, as have the Goat’s Canyon and Smuggler’s Gulch canyon collectors. It is expected to be running again by Jan. 24, the International Boundary and Wastewater Commission says.
In the meantime, the IBWC will clear built-up sediment and trash from the canyon collectors and will place new hale bales to slow the accumulation of solid waste to the pump station and reduce the risk of a recurring failure.
Junction Box 1
As part of the SBIWTP, the junction box regulates how much liquid can flow into the wastewater treatment plant. Flow control is crucial to making sure the plant does not become overladen, and it is in need of repairs.
Although it was originally projected for completion in Feb. 2025, that date has been delayed to Aug. 2025. The reason for the delay, Fisher said, is the long lead time for needed materials.
San Antonio de Los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant
The SAB, which sits south of the border, is being expanded by the Mexican government as a part of the $144 million the country committed to addressing the sewage crisis under Treaty Minute 328.
It is currently listed as “under construction” on the IBWC’s web portal, which tracks Minue 328 projects.
Fisher said that his understanding is that the plant is in the testing phase, and is expected to be fully operational in the first half of this year.
The project has been fully funded, and construction began in February 2024.
When complete, its capacity will be 18 million gallons per day, and it is anticipated to treat about a third of Tijuana’s wastewater. With the plant inoperable, wastewater instead flows into the ocean.
Mexico previously set its projected completion to Sept. 2024, although representatives from the IBWC cautioned that Mexico’s goal was “aggressive.” Once online, it won’t address all of the wastewater from Tijuana, but it will mark a substantial improvement.
