Overview
- The State Water Resources Control Board opened applications Thursday for a $46 million competitive grant program drawn from Proposition 4 to fund projects that reduce bacteria, remove trash, and lower public-health risks in the Tijuana River watershed.
- Grants cover planning and implementation work with caps of $750,000 for planning, $10 million for implementation and up to $20 million with deputy director approval to support on-the-ground mitigation and restoration.
- California frames the funding as a stopgap to protect communities while calling on the federal government, which runs the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, to complete planned repairs and expansions under the U.S.-Mexico agreement.
- The rollout adds to about $38 million the state has spent since 2019 on sediment basins, trash booms, habitat work, monitoring and air purifiers to address chronic discharges that the International Boundary and Water Commission says have totaled over 100 billion gallons since 2018.
- Local leaders and environmental groups say the grants will help urgently needed cleanup and health protections for low-income Latino communities exposed to foul-smelling sewage and hydrogen sulfide, and the program could increase pressure for larger federal and binational infrastructure investments.