California joins partners to launch pilot project to help clean up Tijuana River

California, federal and international representatives gathered near the southern border on December 17, 2024, to celebrate a state-funded pilot project to help clean up the Tijuana River. This is part of $35 million in funding the Newsom Administration has directed to address the ongoing sewage crisis on the Tijuana River.

“California is working with our local and federal partners to address the ongoing Tijuana River crisis,” California Governor Gavin Newsom stated in a press release. “This project to stop trash from clogging the river is part of an all-of-the-above approach we’re taking to help protect Tijuana River valley communities.”

The State Water Resources Control Board financed the $4.7 million project, which features floating trash booms made partially from recycled material. The project is overseen by the nonprofit Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC).

Once completed, it will intercept tires, washing machines and other debris that flow from Mexico into the Tijuana River, clogging the channel and contributing to chronic water quality problems.

The pilot, which will run for the next two consecutive storm seasons, began with the deployment of the plastic-and-steel encased booms on Nov. 14. The ribbon-cutting event initiates the next phase: the capture and removal of objects that block the untreated wastewater from entering the treatment plant.

According to a press release, Mexico is primarily responsible for preventing trash-laden wastewater from flowing into the Tijuana River Valley.

U.S. federal and state agencies assist with equipment, maintenance and resources to contain the discharges through a series of canyon collectors designed to intercept objects that block untreated sewage from reaching the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Wastewater Treatment

California Governor visits Tijuana River rehabilitation efforts, assesses impact of sewage crisis

California Governor Gavin Newsom visited wastewater facilities near the Tijuana River to assess impacts of the sewage crisis.

Efforts to clean up the Tijuana River

Since 2019, California has allocated $35 million in state funding to address pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and support cleanup efforts:

$1 million to fund Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
$9 million to operate and maintain Goat Canyon sediment and trash basins.
$4.7 million to Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s Tijuana River Trash Boom pilot project.
$14.25 million for the Smuggler’s Gulch Improvement Project.
$3.3 million for the Tijuana River Valley Habitat and Hydrology Restoration Project.
$3 million to develop a model to forecast the presence of pathogens in San Diego coastal and tidal waters and help measure the effectiveness of potential projects in the Tijuana River Valley.