January 18, 2024
by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan
While on the U.S. side of the border, developments toward the upgrade of the International Treatment Plant in San Ysidro are slowly going forward and still need funding; last week, Mexico made a big step ahead. A groundbreaking ceremony for the San Antonio de Los Buenos (SAB) plant, which discharges sewage into the ocean, causing beach closures in the U.S. side, was held on January 11.
In 2022, Mexico pledged $144 million to fix its sewage treatment infrastructure, and one major project was the SAB plant, located six miles from the border and officially out of service since 2014.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre has been fighting to fix SAB since 2010. “It really never worked. It was online for 20 years and was never at a level of sufficient treatment,” she said. When the SAB plant worked, it treated 17 million gallons per day (MGD), but for many years now, it’s just spewed raw sewage into the ocean. The new plant will be built with an estimated finish date of September 2024 and will treat 18 MGD. Both the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Environmental Protection Agency have stated that fixing the SAB plant will result in the largest reduction of U.S. beach closures.
The current non-functioning plant is made up of three lagoons filled with wastewater. The new plant will feature an oxidation ditch system made up of three independent modules and an ocean outfall of 656 feet.
Aguirre said she was pleasantly surprised that the groundbreaking took place as scheduled, as it was planned for late fall or early winter 2024. To make the project happen, the Mexican government jumped through the hurdles of funding, originally supposed to be a combination of state, federal, and private. “That funding [sources of private/public partnership] was superseded by a direct presidential order of President AMLO (Andrés Manuel López Obrador)…because it was going to take too long and not [be] completed in the timeline,” explained Aguirre. Funds were instead appropriated from the general fund to make this project happen faster.
In a turn of events to further speed up the process of the SAB plant construction, the Mexican government has turned over the project to the military. SEDENA, the Secretary of National Defense, has successfully completed other projects in the country and will take over. “The military has efficiently done projects all over the country…[the military] has a direct order to complete the project by September 2024. This is the result of our collective advocacy efforts. All last year, I met with the governor of Baja to ask to prioritize the plant,” said Aguirre.
To continue her advocacy effort, Aguirre will travel to Washington D.C. at the end of January, possibly with a congressional delegation “to make sure the funding comes across the finish line.”
While the International Treatment Plant in San Ysidro has received $300 million for the expansion and increased treatment capacity, that amount is not enough since upgrades are also badly needed. At the end of last year President Biden requested an additional $310 million for the plant, which is not yet approved. Aguirre is working with the congressional delegation because the $310 million has not been placed on a particular vehicle for approval, meaning into some sort of bill. Aguirre continues to ask for additional support from California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden. Both have not declared a state of emergency for the pollution problem plaguing Imperial Beach and Coronado. Aguirre has been working tirelessly on the issue of pollution since she was elected and has made major strides with Mexico. On her upcoming trip to Washington D.C., she hopes to meet with White House staff and discuss the urgency of the funding for the ITP.
At the groundbreaking event, Baja Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda made a special request. Aguirre recalled del Pilar’s words, “I only ask I have my counterpart present.”
“Not once the governor has sent a representative or come himself,” said Aguirre. “We should take it as an example that [the Mexican government] is getting it done. I remain cautiously optimistic that our beaches will reopen between September 30 and the beginning of the rainy season, as long as the treatment plant is brought online.”
The SAB plant coming online combined with the redirected river flows into the International Treatment Plant could solve the issue if and when an additional $310 M is awarded to the project.
With the funding for SAB coming from Mexico’s general fund and the military put in charge of the project, Aguirre feels Mexico is showing that where there is a will, there is a way. “There is no excuse for us not to do the same here with a presidential executive order and support from the government,” she said.
Vol. 40, No. 3 - Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024