Environment

EPA urges Mexico to stop sewage and chemical discharge polluting Southern California beaches

Wednesday, 23 April 2025 12:05AM UTC

The Environmental Protection Agency has demanded urgent action from Mexico to halt the ongoing discharge of billions of gallons of raw sewage and toxic chemicals from Tijuana into the Pacific Ocean, a crisis that has led to beach closures, health risks for locals and navy personnel, and extensive environmental damage along Southern California's coastline.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called on Mexico to halt the discharge of billions of gallons of sewage and toxic chemicals from Tijuana into the Pacific Ocean, an issue that has severely affected Southern California's coastline, led to beach closures, and resulted in health problems for those training in the water, including Navy SEALs.

Lee Zeldin, head of the EPA, made these comments during an Earth Day visit to the California-Mexico border. During his trip, Zeldin toured the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego County, a facility on the U.S. side designed to treat 25 million gallons of sewage daily, and undertook an aerial survey of the Tijuana River to observe the issue firsthand.

Zeldin revealed that the EPA would soon present Mexico with a detailed list of projects aimed at tackling the long-standing environmental crisis. However, he did not specify what measures the United States might impose if Mexico fails to comply. He stated, “We’re going to know whether or not Mexico is going to do its part to resolve it, and then we’ll go from there, as far as strategy and tactics.” While acknowledging that President Donald Trump is highly concerned about the issue, Zeldin mentioned they have yet to discuss potential tariffs or other punitive actions.

The Tijuana River runs approximately 120 miles (195 kilometres), beginning in Mexico and passing through southern California before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Over the years, the river has become a conduit for increasing amounts of sewage, heavy with industrial chemicals and waste, stemming from population growth and industrial expansion in Tijuana. Since 2018, it has been estimated that over 100 billion gallons of raw sewage and pollutants have entered the river.

The pollution has had a wide-reaching impact, affecting swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, schoolchildren, Border Patrol agents, and others, with scientists indicating that toxic vapours can become airborne when sewage foams. The U.S. Navy is currently reviewing whether to relocate its Naval Special Warfare training centre in San Diego following reports of 1,168 cases of acute gastrointestinal illness among SEAL recruits between 2019 and 2023.

In addition to the public health concerns, the contaminated waters have forced frequent closures of surrounding Californian beaches over the past four years. Since 2020, more than $653 million has been allocated to combat the pollution issue, yet progress remains stalled, largely due to delays on the Mexican side, according to Zeldin.

The EPA chief expressed hope that the new Mexican administration under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October, would engage more constructively. Zeldin reported a positive meeting with Mexican officials in San Diego, suggesting strong collaborative intentions. “What’s being communicated by the new Mexican president is an intense desire to fully resolve this situation,” he said. Nonetheless, Zeldin emphasised the urgency, stating, “There’s no way that we are going to stand before the people of California and ask them to have more patience and just bear with all of us as we go through the next 10 or 20 or 30 years of being stuck in 12 feet of raw sewage and not getting anywhere. So we are all out of patience.”

Zeldin also pointed out the bipartisan support within the U.S. for addressing the crisis, with lawmakers from both parties backing cleanup efforts.

Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Environment Secretary, met with Zeldin to discuss binational projects aimed at restoring environmental health to the border region, following a request from President Sheinbaum. However, Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (Semarnat) had not issued an immediate public response to the EPA’s statements.

Mexico is currently developing several wastewater treatment initiatives and plans to modernise existing facilities to reduce sewage discharge. Zeldin insisted, though, that additional measures must be completed, such as installing floodgates to capture trash in the Tijuana River and investigating a proposal to divert 10 million gallons of sewage from the shore.

The EPA’s stance highlights the ongoing complications in managing cross-border environmental issues and underscores the collaborative and diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Mexico to mitigate a persistent pollution crisis affecting critical coastal areas.

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/us-and-mexico-agree-invest-474m-address-tijuana-river-sewage-problem - Confirms the joint investment by the US and Mexico to address the Tijuana River sewage problem, supporting the claim of ongoing binational efforts and significant funding towards the pollution crisis.
https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/usmca-tijuana-river-watershed - Provides detailed information on the Tijuana River watershed, including how sewage and contaminated flows from Mexico enter the US and discharge into the Pacific Ocean, corroborating the geography and pollution description.
https://www.slc.ca.gov/trv-transboundary-pollution-crisis/ - Explains the transboundary pollution crisis affecting the Tijuana River Valley, including untreated wastewater flows, contaminated sediment, and trash influxes, which supports the article's description of environmental degradation and public health impacts.
https://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/environmental-groups-sue-federal-government-to-spur-action-in-tijuana-sewage-crisis/ - Details the discharge of sewage and toxic chemicals by the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and its violation of the Clean Water Act, confirming the facility's role and the resulting health problems and beach closures.
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-administrator-tours-south-bay-international-wastewater-treatment-plant-address-tijuana-river - Reports EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's visit to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and his comments on the Tijuana River pollution issue, supporting the article's account of his Earth Day border visit and EPA's planned project list.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative references recent events including an Earth Day visit by Lee Zeldin as head of the EPA, discussions involving Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum who took office in October, and ongoing pollution issues from 2019 to 2023. These references indicate current or very recent developments rather than recycled news. No direct evidence suggests this is a press release, which would usually warrant high freshness due to original timing and official communication.

Quotes check

Score: 7

Notes: The quotes attributed to Lee Zeldin and other officials, including statements on EPA strategy and collaboration with Mexico, align with typical public official statements in environmental diplomacy. While no exact original source or earliest publication date was identified online for these quotes, their specificity and context suggest they are likely original or early-use statements rather than repeated from old reports.

Source reliability

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative originates from a well-established UK news provider known for credible journalism on current affairs. This lends a good baseline reliability, although the complexity of cross-border environmental issues makes some details inherently dependent on official disclosures and ongoing developments.

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: The claims regarding the pollution of the Tijuana River, its impact on Southern California beaches, health issues among Navy SEAL recruits, and binational efforts reflect well-documented environmental challenges reported in recent years. Mention of ongoing projects and political dynamics is plausible given well-known border pollution concerns, though some measures remain pending implementation.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is timely and addresses ongoing environmental and public health issues corroborated by recent political and environmental contexts. Quoted officials articulate positions consistent with public records, and the account originates from a reputable news outlet. The plausibility of claims is strong given documented pollution and health data. No significant signs of outdated or recycled content were found.

Environmental protection
Tijuana river pollution
EPA
Cross-border cooperation
Public health
Water contamination