Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis Statement on President Biden’s $310 Million Emergency Request to Address Tijuana River Sewage Crisis 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 26, 2023

CONTACT: press@ltg.ca.gov (916) 445-8994

Sacramento – Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis issued the following statement on President Biden’s proposed $310 million in emergency supplemental funding to address the Tijuana River sewage crisis: 

“Earlier this month, I revisited the Tijuana River and witnessed firsthand the profound impacts the sewage crisis continues to have on both sides of the border. 

We applaud President Biden for granting the requested $310 million in the emergency supplemental bill to address our aging wastewater treatment infrastructure in San Diego through his emergency supplemental funding bill. We are thankful to Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Padilla, and elected officials of the surrounding region for bringing much-needed attention and focus to this critical issue.   

Congress must swiftly approve this proposal and address this public health and environmental crisis once and for all.” 

BACKGROUND: 

Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis and the California Coastal Commission visited the Tijuana River on October 13, 2023, to receive a status update on the ongoing cross-border pollution crisis from federal, state, and local government representatives and members of the community impacted by the pollution.  In recent years, the Tijuana River pollution has worsened as the aging wastewater treatment infrastructure on both sides of the border has deteriorated and failed to keep up with population growth.   

During this month’s California Coastal Commission meeting, the Lieutenant Governor joined Commissioners in calling on the federal government for more support and to expedite repairs and construction of wastewater treatment infrastructure along the border. Her remarks from the meeting can be viewed here.