Rep. scott peters (CA-50) and several members of Congress, including the San Diego County congressional delegation, sent a letter to the Department of State on Oct. 6 demanding a full account of how the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) fell into such a severe state of disrepair.
The plant, which was constructed in 1997 to treat sewage originating from Baja California, Mexico, that discharges into the Pacific Ocean, has not been properly maintained for decades, causing raw sewage to pollute San Diego’s beaches, jeopardizing the health and safety of South Bay residents and U.S. Navy SEAL special forces who train in these waters.
While the San Diego congressional delegation secured $300 million in 2020 to double the plant’s capacity, members learned in June that it needs hundreds of millions of dollars in additional repairs before it can be expanded and that the cost of the planned expansion has increased dramatically.
In their letter, the members state, “It remains unclear how the plant fell behind on maintenance since it was previously expanded in 2002. Responding to the questions below will help us better understand how the deterioration of a facility crucial to the public health of the people of our region happened.”
Those questions include:
- Who is responsible for ensuring the facility’s maintenance?
- When did the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), which manages the plant, become aware of its deteriorated condition?
- Is a contractor partially responsible for the plant’s deterioration?
- What steps is the State Department taking to pursue the repair, rehabilitation, and expansion of the plant?
- What measures are being taken to ensure the plant does not reach such a deteriorated state in the future?
In addition to Peters, the letter was signed by Representatives Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), David Valadao (CA-21), Ken Calvert (CA-41), Darrell Issa (CA-48), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and Juan Vargas (CA-52).
