Stephanie Jackter - 5-24-2003 at 11:10 AM
Sewage treatment project put on hold
No money now for border-area plant
By Leslie Wolf Branscomb
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 24, 2003
The financial impact of the war in Iraq appears to have reached the U.S.-Mexico border, indefinitely stalling a sewage treatment project.
The U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, or IBWC, reported Thursday that because of the war, its most recent request for funding has been
denied and it cannot proceed with negotiations with Mexico to build a secondary-treatment sewage plant at the border.
It has been 21/2 years since Congress passed legislation to build a treatment plant in Tijuana to alleviate cross-border sewage flows and beach
pollution.
Sewage that flows north over the border is treated at the International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Tijuana River Valley and discharged into the
ocean off Imperial Beach.
However, it is only treated to the advanced primary level rather than the cleaner secondary level required by law.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, and former congressman Brian Bilbray of Imperial Beach pushed for the legislation to build a secondary treatment plant
with Bajagua in mind, a project backed by a group of American investors proposing a public-private partnership in Mexico.
But the legislation did not specifically name Bajagua, and Mexican officials have balked at the assumption that Bajagua will construct the plant.
IBWC's principal engineer, Debra Little, said Mexican officials will require competitive bidding before awarding a contract.
But first, the countries must amend the old treaty on sewage crossing the border from Mexico for treatment in the United States. The change would
allow it to to be treated in Tijuana.
Little said the IBWC's Mexican counterpart wants studies examining technical issues and project costs to be done before negotiations proceed.
"They told us preliminary project studies should be done now to provide a framework for agreement for implementation," Little said. "They have
requested these be done jointly . . . "
The studies will be done once money is available, she said.
Little said IBWC's requests for funding from the federal government have been rejected, including the most recent request for $3 million in fiscal
2003. "It was denied on the basis that no supplemental funding requests were being accepted from any agencies other than those needed for the Iraqi
war," Little said.
"I don't mean to imply that Iraq is the only problem," Little said yesterday. "Appropriations are just hard to get in these belt-tightening times."
She said the IBWC will continue to seek funding.
Panelists at an IBWC citizen's forum this week reacted with frustration to the news of the latest delays.
"If Uncle Sam doesn't appropriate the money, and Mexico is saying show me the money, we will be at this standstill forever," said Fred Threats, a
resident of the Tijuana River Valley.
"We need to just do it, to have the secondary treatment at the International Wastewater Treatment Plant on this side of the border," said Terry
Thomas, a biology professor at Southwestern College.
"We are blinding ourselves to the impact on the public health and on environmental health. It really is so important that both Mexico City and
Washington D.C. acknowledge and swiftly act on these needs."
Little said she believes the project will move along. "We can be successful at this, but it just takes time," she said.