Residents of Residencial La Esperanza in Tijuana say raw sewage has been flooding their main street for more than two years, and they blame housing construction built directly over the neighborhood’s sewer main. The sewage spills, which residents report as recurring and unresolved, have prompted repeated complaints to municipal authorities with no lasting fix.
Construction Over Sewer Lines Blamed for Damage
Neighbors say the problem began when a housing developer built on top of existing sewer infrastructure, cracking or displacing the main pipe that serves the area. Each time new construction activity disturbs the ground, raw wastewater surges onto the street. Residencial La Esperanza sits in one of Tijuana’s expanding residential zones on the city’s eastern edge, where rapid development has outpaced infrastructure planning.
The dispute has dragged on since at least early 2024. Residents say they have contacted CESPT (Tijuana’s municipal water and sewer utility) and other city offices multiple times. So far, they report, responses have been limited to temporary patches that fail within weeks.
A Pattern Across Tijuana’s Growing Neighborhoods
The complaint fits a broader pattern in Tijuana, where the city’s population of roughly 2.2 million strains aging water and sewer systems. Tijuana’s sewage infrastructure has drawn international attention because of chronic transboundary spills into the Tijuana River Valley and the Pacific Ocean. In March 2025, millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled from a construction site in the city and crossed into San Diego County. The International Boundary and Water Commission confirmed that incident was tied to work on a new international collector pipeline.
But while cross-border spills attract federal resources and headlines, neighborhood-level failures like the one in Residencial La Esperanza often go unaddressed for months or years. CESPT has faced persistent criticism for slow response times and deferred maintenance across Tijuana’s colonias.
The sewage overflow poses health risks to residents, including exposure to pathogens that cause gastrointestinal illness and skin infections. Standing wastewater also attracts mosquitoes and produces strong odors, particularly during warmer months.
Residents say they plan to continue pressing municipal officials for a permanent repair to the damaged sewer main. No public timeline for a fix has been announced, according to Zeta Tijuana.