SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has seemingly responded to Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre’s letter urging federal action on the Tijuana River sewage crisis impacting southern San Diego County.
Lee Zeldin, the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 29, 2025, posted on X Saturday evening that he was recently briefed on the large amounts of raw sewage flowing into the U.S. from Mexico, which is impacting the water and air quality for residents in San Diego’s South Bay.
Imperial Beach mayor heads to Washington to push for action on Tijuana sewage crisis
“I was just briefed that Mexico is dumping large amounts of raw sewage into the Tijuana River, and it’s now seeping into the U.S. This is unacceptable. Mexico MUST honor its commitments to control this pollution and sewage!,” Zeldin’s post on X reads .
The social media post comes just one week after Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre sent a letter to Zeldin urging a “new review of the Lower Tijuana River Valley’s toxic cross-border sewage crisis for Superfund designation and further EPA action.” View the letter below:
Letter-to-Lee-Zeldin-EPA-re-Tijuana-River-Valley-Superfund-2025.03.03 Download
Residents in southern San Diego County have been dealing with impacts from the cross-border pollution for years. The sewage has been impacting not only air and water quality, it is also sickening Navy SEALs that work and train in Coronado .
Navy SEALs face health risks from toxic sewage exposure, report finds
Parts of the Imperial Beach shoreline were closed for over 1,000 days in a row until just recently when it has reopened on and off over the past few months as the bacteria levels fluctuate…