Tijuana’s water utility cleared more than 120 kilometers of sewer pipe across Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito during the first four months of 2026, removing over 1,000 cubic meters of debris and sediment from aging lines.
The Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana (CESPT), the state public services commission that operates water and wastewater systems for both cities, completed preventive and corrective maintenance on 120,292 linear meters of sanitary pipe between January and April. Director Mónica Vega Aguirre said the work targeted blockages, sewage spills, and foul odors in residential neighborhoods.
Crews Target Chronic Problem Areas
Recent maintenance included clearing sewer junction boxes on Calle Salvador Alvarado in the El Soler subdivision, a critical node that handles drainage flow from several surrounding colonias. CESPT deploys daily crews to address active spill zones across both municipalities.
The goal is to route wastewater properly to treatment plants and reduce chronic overflow events. Sewage spills in Tijuana have repeatedly closed beaches on both sides of the border and contaminated the Tijuana River watershed. A February 2026 Reddit post about raw sewage roughly ten miles south of the border fence drew hundreds of responses from San Diego residents frustrated by the ongoing crisis.
Aging System Serves Nearly 480,000 Connections
CESPT’s wastewater system currently serves nearly 480,000 connections, with coverage reaching about 90% of households in Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito, according to the North American Development Bank. Areas without service still rely on cesspools and latrines. The agency regularly inspects older collection mains using cameras to identify deteriorated lines that risk environmental contamination.
The sewer maintenance comes after a difficult start to 2026 for the utility. In January, CESPT shut off water to 691 neighborhoods in Tijuana and Rosarito for rehabilitation work on the Florido-Aguaje Aqueduct, which supplies more than 1.3 million residents. That outage lasted nearly a week before full service was restored.
Separately, a key wastewater pump at the U.S.-Mexico border that has broken down repeatedly is slated for rehabilitation within 18 months, according to an April 2026 report from Voice of San Diego. Vega Aguirre said the preventive clearing work is essential to maintaining the capacity of the sewer system and protecting public health in both municipalities.
First reported by Jornada BC.