Tijuana’s water utility replaced 260 linear meters of collapsed sewer pipe in the Colonia Anexa Postal neighborhood after repeated failures sent raw sewage spilling into a residential alley. The Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana (CESPT) installed the new line along Carlota Sosa Maldonado street, between José María Pino Suárez and Matías Gómez streets, replacing pipe that had been in the ground for 55 years.
The project included reconnecting residential discharge lines for homes along the stretch. Approximately 800 residents depend on the repaired section of the sewer network. Before the replacement, collapses in the aging pipe had caused sewage spills in the alley at Pino Suárez, creating a recurring public health hazard for the surrounding blocks.
Aging Infrastructure Across Tijuana
The repair is part of a broader pattern in Tijuana, where older colonias face chronic sewer failures tied to decades-old infrastructure. CESPT operates the water and wastewater systems for both Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito. According to data from the North American Development Bank (NADBank), which has financed multiple CESPT rehabilitation projects, the utility has identified aged and deteriorated wastewater collection lines across the city that require replacement to prevent environmental contamination.
NADBank records show CESPT has undertaken projects to replace more than 10,500 meters of deteriorated sewer mains in the Tijuana River Basin area alone. The city’s rapid population growth over recent decades has placed heavy strain on systems originally built for far fewer residents. Crumbling pipes routinely cause street collapses and raw sewage discharges into waterways, a problem that has drawn international attention due to cross-border flows reaching the Tijuana River and the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.
Reactive Repairs Remain the Norm
In Colonia Anexa Postal, the replacement came only after the pipe had already collapsed and caused multiple spill events. This reactive approach is common across Tijuana’s older neighborhoods, where infrastructure built in the 1960s and 1970s often operates well past its intended lifespan. CESPT does respond to reported failures, but the scale of aging pipe across the city means many colonias wait until a collapse forces emergency action.
The agency continues to inspect older collection mains using camera surveys at manholes to identify sections at highest risk of failure. Property owners in older Tijuana neighborhoods who notice slow drainage, sinkholes, or sewage odors can report problems directly to CESPT.
This story was first reported by Jornada BC.