SAN DIEGO — It's a step forward for the city of Imperial Beach and for the construction of the treatment plant. For years, people have dealt with beach closures, poor air quality, and bad odors—all because of the raw sewage that flows from the Tijuana River.
It's no surprise that the move is already seeing praise from local and state leaders.
Chairwoman Nora Vargas took to social media to say the "request marks a significant step forward in tackling this crisis".
"My administration has worked closely with President Biden and his team on this issue, and I want to thank him for including the requested $310 million in the emergency supplemental bill. This funding will help expedite sorely needed construction," Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Now —this request is coming from President Joe Biden and its administration.
They are now asking Congress that they grant these funds. It's a request of $55.8 billion for natural disasters, child care, and other expenses. A $310 million portion includes a petition "to prevent and reduce sewage flows and contamination."
If approved $310 million from that request would supplement the $300 million that Congress secured in 2021 to cover the expansion of the South Bay treatment plant so that it can double the amount of raw sewage it treats, from 25 million gallons per day to 50 million gallons per day.
"We thank our elected leaders – the late Senator Feinstein, Senator Padilla, Representative Peters, the San Diego Congressional delegation, Speaker Emerita Pelosi, Senate President pro-Tempore Atkins, our local and state leaders, and others – who have been working on this for years and helped make today's announcement a reality. It's critical that Congress act quickly to approve the President's proposal and address this crisis," Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
In June, they revealed that the plant was in desperate need of repairs. But that it would cost at least millions to fix it before it could be expanded by the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, which operates the facility.
Recent storms have only exacerbated damage to the treatment plant—like tropical storm Hilary.
Wastewater flows had at one point reached 80 million gallons per day.