The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has channeled more than $32 million in non-reimbursable grants to the Tijuana metropolitan area for sewage and wastewater infrastructure projects along the Tijuana River. The funds come from the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) and support 11 of the 22 projects outlined under Minute 328, the binational agreement signed in July 2022 to reduce cross-border sewage contamination.
Of those 11 projects, seven have been completed and four are currently under construction. Representatives from the North American Development Bank (NADBank), the EPA, Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA), and the Tijuana State Public Services Commission (CESPT) recently conducted technical site visits at several treatment facilities, including the San Antonio de los Buenos, Arturo Herrera, and La Morita wastewater treatment plants.
What Is Minute 328?
Minute 328 is a framework agreement under the U.S.-Mexico water treaty mechanism. Signed in July 2022 alongside a binational Statement of Intent, it commits both countries to building short- and long-term wastewater infrastructure on both sides of the border. The full package of projects outlined in Minutes 328 and the newer Minute 333 (signed December 2025) draws on $330 million in U.S. funding.
One recently signed financing contract totaling $4.2 million will replace 10,884 meters of deteriorated sewer lines in priority zones of Tijuana. Mexico has also begun construction on an effluent relocation project at the Arturo Herrera and La Morita plants, a two-phase effort costing $16 million that aims to prevent 10 million gallons per day of effluent from reaching the Tijuana River once completed by late 2027.
Cross-Border Sewage Crisis in Context
The Tijuana River sewage problem has plagued communities on both sides of the border for decades. Untreated and partially treated wastewater flowing north into the Tijuana River Valley and the Pacific Ocean has forced prolonged beach closures in Imperial Beach and Coronado. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited San Diego in April 2025 to assess the crisis firsthand, and U.S. and Mexican officials conducted a joint border tour later that month.
In July 2025, the two countries signed an agreement to permanently address the crisis. That led to Minute 333 in December 2025, which added new infrastructure commitments, enhanced monitoring, and planning for long-term operation and maintenance of treatment systems to account for Tijuana’s growing population.
The $32 million in BEIF grants represents one piece of a broader, multi-agency effort. On the U.S. side, the USMCA implementing legislation included a $300 million appropriation for wastewater infrastructure along the border, and the EPA transferred USMCA funds to the International Boundary and Water Commission for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion project in 2024.
This story was first reported by Semanario ZETA Tijuana.