Senate Bill 10 would permit the regional planning agency to set aside money for wastewater infrastructure fixes and other mitigation projects
The Otay Mesa East border crossing, also known as Otay II, will be used for both vehicle and commercial crossings between the US and Mexico. From a hillside along the border wall looking west towards the construction of the Otay II project in Colonia Las Torres on Wednesday, July 3, 2024 in Tijuana, Baja California. State Sen.
The project site is about two miles east of the existing Otay Mesa Port of Entry, several miles from the Tijuana River Estuary. But officials argue that the rapid expansion of the U.S.-Mexico border region has resulted in more industrial production, cross-border transportation and waste generation, worsening pollution in the river valley.
“We’re not trying to make things harder for folks,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you can’t this infrastructure in the middle of one of the most unique environmental public health disasters in North America and pretend like this isn’t here or that you don’t have an obligation to contribute to its solution.”
According to a traffic and revenue forecast of the project, toll revenues are expected to reach $8.2 billion over 40 years through 2066. About $800 million over the life of the forecast will go toward operations and maintenance costs, shared between SANDAG and Mexico. The remaining $7.4 billion will go to the agency and Mexico evenly.
“The pollution crisis highlights the environmental challenges that have arisen from the increased commerce and trade between the United States and Mexico,” Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said. “By establishing this mitigation fund, we would ensure that there is a continuous source of revenue to properly fund wastewater infrastructure and its operation and maintenance.”
Major progress is underway, with Mexico nearly done overhauling a wastewater plant in Baja California and the U.S. repairing and expanding a plant in the Tijuana River Valley. But millions of dollars are still needed to fund the latter project, which won’t be complete until at least the next five years.
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