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U.S. and Mexico agree on plan to prevent Tijuana sewage in ocean

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IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - Representatives from the United States and Mexico signed a joint agreement pledging a combined $474 million to address the Tijuana sewage problem.

The U.S. will be providing $330 million and Mexico will provide $144 million. That money will be spent on various projects, with multiple portions expected to be completed by 2027.

By 2027, the goal is to reduce the number of days of transboundary wastewater overflows by 50%, along with an 80% reduction in the volume of untreated wastewater discharged to the Pacific Ocean six miles south of the border.

Plus, the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant will double its capacity and a new treatment plant will be built in Mexico at San Antonio de los Buenos. The amount of Mexican sewage undergoing treatment is expected to increase by 43 million gallons per day.

This agreement comes after multiple recent overflows and flooding of wastewater from Mexico, prompting beach closures for many South Bay communities.

Related coverage:

Settlement reached in long-running cross-border sewage litigation
Health officials lift closure of north beach in Coronado
Beachgoers on new contamination-warning system at Imperial Beach
'When are they going to fix this?' Imperial Beach locals feel the impacts of beach closures