California slammed with 200 Billion gallons of sewage since 2018—EPA may finally step in

San Diego, California – With Southern California communities suffering from years of toxic sewage flowing across the U.S.-Mexico border, a new federal bill aims to do what decades of fragmented efforts have failed to accomplish: establish a unified, comprehensive, and federally led response to the Tijuana River pollution crisis.

The Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act of 2025, introduced Thursday by a coalition of Democratic lawmakers, would designate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the lead agency in tackling the long-standing environmental and public health emergency that has battered the Tijuana River and New River watersheds for decades.

Since 2018, more than 200 billion gallons of raw sewage, industrial waste, and stormwater have flowed from Mexico into Southern California, contaminating water, polluting air, and forcing near-continuous beach closures. In 2023 alone, more than 44 billion gallons crossed the border — the highest volume in 25 years.

The new legislation gives the EPA broad authority to coordinate all levels of government — federal, state, Tribal, and local — in the construction, maintenance, and management of critical water infrastructure. It creates a new EPA Geographic Program tailored to the Tijuana River and New River watersheds and mandates the development of a comprehensive water quality management plan. These measures are grounded in recommendations from the Government Accountability Office’s 2020 report, which identified persistent gaps in agency coordination and infrastructure development.

Crucially, the bill also compels the EPA to prioritize projects that respond to new scientific findings showing that pollutants in wastewater are becoming airborne, with aerosolized toxins being carried by ocean spray and inhaled by residents.

The legislation outlines a series of mandates: within 180 days, the EPA must implement a watershed management plan and identify a consensus list of priority projects. The agency would be authorized to distribute funds, provide technical assistance, and work with the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to execute construction and restoration projects, including stormwater quality and treatment systems.

The bill has drawn widespread support from environmental and civic organizations across Southern California and is cosponsored in the House by Representatives Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin, and Raul Ruiz. Endorsements include the City of San Diego, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Surfrider Foundation, and SANDAG.

Lawmakers behind the bill argue that this is the same kind of federal coordination that has benefited regions like the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. San Diego, they say, deserves the same commitment.

Over the past two years, efforts have ramped up. In 2024, construction began on an expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP), which is now on track to double its capacity and reduce cross-border flows by 90 percent. Mexico’s San Antonio de los Buenos treatment plant has also come online, helping stem the tide.

Senator Alex Padilla and the San Diego delegation have secured more than $550 million across multiple funding packages, including $250 million in disaster relief, a $200 million authorization in the 2024 Water Resources Development Act, and over $100 million for the IBWC in this year’s federal appropriations. The CDC, responding to their request, has launched an investigation into the public health effects of airborne pollution stemming from the crisis.

With the new legislation, the goal is clear: end the patchwork response, give EPA the tools to lead, and deliver clean air and water to border communities that have endured far too much for far too long.