EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Holds Press Conference on Tijuana River Sewage Crisis in San Diego

On Earth Day, EPA officials called for urgent action to resolve a long-standing cross-border sewage crisis impacting health and the environment.

• By Stasia DeMarco
• Apr 24, 2025

On Earth Day, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin held a press conference in San Diego, California, with elected officials and local stakeholders on the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis. For decades, Mexico has allowed untreated sewage and contaminated stormwater to discharge into the United States, which has resulted in severe public health, environmental, and national security consequences, particularly in the San Diego border region.  

Before the press conference, Zeldin toured the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which sits on the American-Mexican border, and attended a roundtable with local, state, and federal elected officials to discuss the impacts this crisis has had on the community. At the press conference, Administrator Zeldin updated the public on his Monday evening meeting with his Mexican counterpart, Secretary Alicia Barcena, discussing necessary steps to end this crisis. 

“This visit for EPA is very important to us to make sure that we aren’t just seeing and hearing firsthand on the ground in Southern California but ensuring that the path forward is one of max collaboration and extreme urgency to end a crisis that should have ended a long time ago,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. 

Administrator Zeldin has made it clear he wants to urgently finalize and deploy a comprehensive plan to permanently end this longstanding issue. Following the press conference, Zeldin took a helicopter tour with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to view more of the area of concern on both sides of the border. He concluded the day at the Naval Special Warfare Command to meet with Navy SEALs, also impacted by Mexican sewage.