Tijuana’s water utility CESPT (Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana) is rehabilitating two aging sewage pump stations in a project worth 176.62 million pesos (roughly $9.7 million USD). The Los Laureles II and Matadero stations together move about 300 liters per second of wastewater toward the city’s treatment plants, and the overhaul aims to reduce the overflow events that have sent raw sewage into streets and the Pacific Ocean.
The upgrades include vortex-type pre-treatment systems, automatic screening grids, a new electrical substation, an emergency backup generator, a motor control center, and full pump equipment overhauls. The two stations serve residential, commercial, and industrial zones, including neighborhoods connected to Tijuana’s coastal strip. No service interruptions have been announced during the rehabilitation work.
Part of a Broader Cross-Border Effort
The project comes as both Mexico and the United States pour money into Tijuana’s failing wastewater infrastructure. In 2023, the EPA and Mexico agreed to invest $474 million to address the Tijuana River sewage crisis, a deal that included rehabilitating deteriorated sewer lines and pump stations on the Mexican side. On the U.S. side, the federal government is spending $13.4 million to rehabilitate the PB-1 pump station near the border, which moves sewage to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Tijuana River Valley.
When Tijuana’s inland pump stations fail, often because of power outages or mechanical breakdowns, untreated sewage bypasses collection systems and flows toward the Tijuana River and the coast. Those spills have triggered prolonged beach closures in Imperial Beach, Coronado, and along Tijuana’s own shoreline. Sewage pollution has caused reported health symptoms on the U.S. side, including headaches, nausea, and respiratory problems.
Why the Inland Stations Matter
Pump stations like Los Laureles II and Matadero sit upstream in Tijuana’s sewage network. They collect wastewater before it reaches the larger trunk lines and border-area infrastructure. Strengthening these inland links reduces the volume of sewage that overwhelms downstream facilities during heavy rain or equipment failures.
The backup generator and new electrical substation are especially significant. Power outages are one of the most common causes of pump station failures in Tijuana, and the lack of backup power has been cited repeatedly in post-spill analyses. CESPT has not released a completion timeline for the two stations.
The rehabilitation was reported by Jornada BC.