California lawmakers on Thursday re-introduced the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act to combat ongoing pollution from the Tijuana River.
San Diego Democrats Juan Vargas and Scott Peters introduced the bill in the House of Representatives. Two fellow members of San Diego’s House delegation, Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin are cosponsors on the bill, along with Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta.
On the Senate floor, both California senators. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, introduced the bill.
“This is an environmental crisis, a public health crisis, and an economic crisis for San Diegans. The federal government should treat it as such,” Peters said in a press release.
This is not the first time the bill has surfaced as a piece of bicameral legislation. It was introduced in 2021 and again in 2024. However, the reintroduction comes just after officials released results from the Centers for Disease Control’s survey of how people near the border felt about the Tijuana River pollution crisis and its effects on them.
Roughly 96% of people surveyed said they were concerned about beach water quality, and another 94% cited concerns over the Tijuana River’s quality. Lastly, 86% of respondents had concerns over the cleanliness of their drinking water.
In an effort to more effectively deal with the pollution crisis, the new bill leans on the Environmental Protection Agency to step up.
The Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act would establish the EPA as the lead agency coordinating efforts between federal, state, tribal and local agencies to deal with pollution. The bill also would establish an EPA Geographic Program that would implement a water quality management program within 180 days of the bill’s passing.
The EPA already has 12 Geographic Programs that protect local ecosystems through water quality improvement, habitat restoration and environmental education.
“It’s absolutely critical that we have a streamlined response from the federal government. But right now, there is no one agency in charge of addressing the pollution. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. Our legislation would finally change that,” Vargas said.
The legislation is backed by local cities, including San Diego and Coronado, Imperial County, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, an incoming county supervisor, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and more.
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