Top officials from the U.S. and Mexico met to discuss a course of action for pollution reduction in the Tijuana River Basin along the U.S.-Mexico border, resulting in a joint statement recognizing its importance for both countries.
The meeting included Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs Chief Officer for the North America Unit Roberto Velasco Álvarez, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Head of International Affairs Miguel Ángel Zerón, Mexican National Water Commission Head of the General Technical Subdirectorate Dr. Humberto Marengo Mogollón and other Mexican officials, an EPA press release said.
“Transborder wastewater pollution in the Tijuana River has been a public health problem for the United States and Mexico for far too long,” Regan said in the release. “Today’s meeting with leaders from Mexico’s government was extremely productive. It’s clear that the most effective solutions will require significant investment on both sides of the border, as well as binational cooperation to ensure lasting benefits for our communities.”
According to the release, both countries recommitted to reducing transborder flows in the Tijuana River, the canyons and other shared coastal waters.
“We had very productive discussions on the need for increased investment in wastewater infrastructure to complement investments in the United States,” Salazar said in the release. “Such infrastructure will benefit both countries and create opportunities for energy savings and wastewater reuse.”
Mexico highlighted their $46M investment by local, state, and federal authorities between 2019 and 2021 to address water sanitation projects in the Tijuana River, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico said in a release.
“For the Government of Mexico and for the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, it is of the highest priority to ensure access to a healthy environment, therefore, this type of collaboration clearly demonstrates that together with our determination and abilities, we can solve the challenges presented to us in this and other environmental issues,” Zerón said in the EPA release.
The EPA will invest $300 million to reduce transboundary wastewater flows in the Tijuana River as well as along the Pacific Coast, the release said.
