“For decades, Latino families and communities in southern San Diego have lived with polluted shorelines and the health impacts of exposure to toxic and highly dangerous sewage and chemical pollution. This landmark agreement is a cause for celebration, as it represents an important step toward addressing a binational crisis that has jeopardized public health, marine ecosystems, and cultural identity on both sides of the border. It also demonstrates that solutions are possible when communities, leaders, and nations come together.

“The Tijuana River is not just a body of water—it is a lifeline that flows through our communities, our ecosystems, and our shared history. By committing to restore this vital river, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its Mexican partners are taking bold action to protect public health, strengthen marine ecosystems, and preserve cultural identity on both sides of the border. 

“We applaud the leadership of the EPA for listening to community voices and responding with real, concrete investments that will make a difference. This agreement has the potential to reverse decades of infrastructure neglect and bring long-overdue relief to families who have waited far too long for clean water and healthy shorelines.

“Latino leadership has been central in lifting up this issue and today’s progress reflects the power of community advocacy combined with government commitment. We are encouraged by this step forward and look forward to continued collaboration to ensure that the Tijuana River is restored as a shared resource that nurtures our communities, our wildlife, and future generations. Our communities, our wildlife, and our future generations deserve clean water, clean air, and access to green spaces and the ocean.”

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on July 24 in Mexico City by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Mexico’s Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra. Mexico has committed to fast-tracking $93 million in sewage infrastructure, including the diversion of 10 million gallons per day of treated effluent. On the U.S. side, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has committed to directing the Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP) funds to repair a pump station and collection pipes, while also expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant’s capacity from 25 to 35 million gallons per day.