EPA cuts nine months from Tijuana River sewage project timelines
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that an additional nine months have been eliminated from construction timelines for key projects addressing raw sewage flowing from Mexico into Southern California. The update follows a 100-day review of existing Minute 328 infrastructure projects conducted by a binational working group established under a July Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Mexico’s Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Alicia Bárcena Ibarra.
According to EPA, the review confirms that all projects remain on schedule to meet previously accelerated deadlines. Since the MOU’s signing, the agency reports that the Trump Administration and its Mexican counterparts have collectively reduced total construction time by roughly 12 years across the full slate of projects.
“The Trump Administration is doing everything in its power to urgently and permanently deliver the 100% solution to the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis that the residents of Southern California have demanded for decades,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a press release. “Reducing timelines for existing infrastructure projects is a sign of great progress and demonstrates how both the United States and Mexico are faithfully upholding their agreed-upon responsibilities from July’s MOU.”
The binational working group—comprising EPA, the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), and Mexican counterparts—identified time savings by cutting six months from rehabilitation of 23,000 feet of deteriorating wastewater pipe in the Tijuana River Gates project and three months from upgrades at Pump Station 1 (PB-1), which provides backup capacity during equipment failures.
U.S. IBWC Commissioner Chad McIntosh stated in a press release that “U.S. IBWC is proud to be part of President Trump and Administrator Zeldin’s team implementing a 100% solution to permanently eliminate American exposure to Mexican sewage from the Tijuana River.”
The EPA also highlighted completion of a 10 million-gallon-per-day expansion at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant—finished in just 100 days instead of the originally projected two years—and plans to expand its capacity to 50 mgd by the end of 2027.
Negotiations on a new treaty “Minute” are underway, with a joint public update expected by the end of 2025.
