SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond sent letters Wednesday to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding intervention in the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis.
The announcement came one day after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin visited with San Diego leaders about the ongoing issues.
"For decades, the Mexican government has dumped millions of gallons of raw sewage and toxic waste into Southern California, harming our beaches, sickening our Navy SEALs, and threatening our national security," Desmond said in his letters. "Enough is enough."
Desmond's letters to the Departments of Defense and State urged Hegseth and Rubio to visit the border themselves to see the extent of the problem.
"American taxpayers should not be on the hook for a mess Mexico continues to cause," Desmond said. "Our military readiness is being compromised. Beaches are closed. Residents are getting sick. And Mexico faces no consequence. That must change."
Zeldin's trip to the region included a Monday night meeting with Alicia Bárcena, secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico, and other Mexican officials for what he said was a discussion "about ending decades of raw sewage entering the U.S. from Mexico."
"It was clear in the way that the Mexican environmental secretary approached every aspect of this meeting yesterday ... that she wants to have a strong collaborative relationship," Zeldin said. "... I welcome that collaboration."
He said he hopes a joint statement will be issued in the coming weeks about what Mexican authorities plan to do to help resolve the crisis. Local leaders, meanwhile, plan to compile a comprehensive list of projects needed to end the flow of pollution.
Zeldin also visited the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
"This visit for EPA is very important for us to make sure that we aren't just seeing and hearing first hand on the ground in Southern California, but ensuring that the path forward is one of max collaboration and extreme urgency to end a crisis that should have ended a long time ago," he said.
"It's a beautiful day where people should be able to spend an Earth Day not worrying about foul smells in the air, ... public health, beach closures and so much more," Zeldin said. "But that's the reality that Americans in Southern California have had to live through for way too long. They want action and they're right."
The meeting was held at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
In recent years, the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem has closed beaches and caused serious health issues for some residents. Untreated wastewater from Mexico's Tijuana River crosses the border into the United States and washes out to sea just south of Imperial Beach.
The bacterial buildup from raw sewage in the wastewater has necessitated the closure of South Bay beaches almost without interruption for three years.
In a statement Monday, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, said he looked forward to Zeldin's visit, but "what matters most is what happens after he leaves. We need action. And we need to fix this in a bipartisan way once and for all."
"We can't allow Administrator Zeldin or anyone in the Trump administration to talk about solving this crisis while proposing cuts to the very agencies responsible for the solution. (Department of Government Efficiency) and House Republicans have already targeted funding for the (International Boundary Water Commission), which operates the plant."
Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, who is running for the District 1 county supervisor seat, said he was "grateful to have Administrator Zeldin in San Diego to see firsthand the challenges our community faces and to help us push for sustainable, long-term solutions."
"I am committed to working alongside Administrator Zeldin to provide innovative solutions that will finally put an end to this 30-year crisis," McCann added.
In response to Zeldin's visit to the Tijuana River on Tuesday, which was also Earth Day, the Transboundary Pollution Coalition for Advocacy and Healing released a statement calling the pollution a public health crisis.
"Working families on both sides of the border have a right to be together outdoors around a healthy river and coastline," according to the group. "The Tijuana River pollution crisis is complex and binational, and our community-based coalition is deeply committed to respecting human rights and working collaboratively in both the U.S. and Mexico."
The coalition describes itself as representing "over 50 community- based organizations, government agencies and community leaders to drive collective awareness and action on the transboundary pollution crisis impacting Southern California and the Tijuana region of Mexico."
Coalition officials said San Diego, U.S. and Mexican authorities need "to fund and implement immediate, commonsense solutions for a healthy Tijuana River."
"Now is the time to hold all policymakers accountable for common- sense solutions to fix the sewage, industrial waste, trash, hydrogen sulfide and other toxins in our river, ocean and air, as well as prevent future impacts from climate change and heal our communities that are suffering the greatest harm," coalition officials said.
