A meeting, led by Congresswoman Erika Santana, brought together representatives from the Tijuana City Hall, the State Commission of Public Services of Tijuana (CESPT), the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA), the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), and other key agencies to propose solutions regarding the contamination of the Tijuana River.
The session underscored the urgent need for coordinated action to tackle pollution in the river, which is a problem that has plagued the border city for decades.
“Caring for the environment is a shared responsibility. We have no other city to move to, no other planet to inhabit. Tijuana is currently in the throes of a water and environmental crisis,” Santana said.
During the meeting, officials presented a range of proposals and diagnostics, culminating in a set of priority action points. Among the key agreements were:
- Promotion of the Official Mexican Standard (NOM) standard: The group will push for a new Official Mexican Standard (NOM) to regulate the safe reuse of treated wastewater (for applications such as park irrigation, construction mixing, car washing, and aquifer recharge) rather than continuing to discharge it into the ocean.
- Legislative alignment of federal and state laws.
- Drainage network assessment: A comprehensive inventory and diagnostic study of the city’s water and sewer pipelines will be carried out to detect leaks, ruptures, and outdated sections requiring immediate replacement.
- Citizen governance & Basin Council: The working group will formally urge CONAGUA, to reconvene the Basin Council, a citizen-led oversight body composed of specialists and community representatives to track resource allocation and project execution.
- Environmental education campaigns: A comprehensive educational document will be developed for distribution across all school levels, with the goal of engaging businesses, workshops, and the general public in water conservation and responsible waste disposal.
- Monthly oversight meetings: The roundtable will reconvene on a monthly basis for one year to monitor progress, verify execution, and ensure transparent use of funds from the Federal Water Plan and the CILA agreements.
Santana also noted that authorities will evaluate which sections of the river should be designated as estuarine zones to protect the native flora and fauna that depend on the habitat.
This first gathering marks a tangible shift toward collaborative governance, with all participating agencies committed to delivering concrete solutions regarding environmental pollution in the city.
Congresswoman Santana announced that a follow-up meeting with local business chambers is already scheduled, during which she will call on private sector actors to refrain from discharging toxic waste into ravines or drainage systems. Construction firms have asked for designated disposal sites for debris, in order to prevent further obstruction of the river’s flow.
With this meeting, the interinstitutional working group aims to lay the groundwork for a new era of water legislation in the region that ensures the comprehensive, long-term recovery of the Tijuana River watershed.
