I’m writing on behalf of the League of Women Voters of California, as well as the North County San Diego League and the San Diego League, of which I am president. Our local Leagues have knowledge and experience on border water issues and are very focused on the calls for emergency action specifically to address Tijuana River problems.
We believe in a future where wastewater originating from Mexico is no longer a problem but a water resource. A future where the Tijuana River is clean, and our ocean and beach environment is protected. We believe the South Bay International Boundary Wastewater Treatment Plant (IBWWTP) and collector system is an important part of building that future. It requires fully funding a comprehensive plan for this system that safeguards the region’s water bodies from pollution and also produces a new, local water supply. This will require a level of funding that can be achieved, as a first step, through an emergency declaration.
We respectfully request that the California Coastal Commission urge Governor Newsom to sign an emergency declaration for the Tijuana River Valley and the shoreline of Imperial Beach, which would be a key step toward a long-term solution.