Item 12a.
City of Coronado
Office of the Mayor
RICHARD BAILEY
1825 ST R A N D WA Y · CO R O N A D O, CA 92118 · T E L (619) 522-7320 · R B A I L E Y@C O R O N A D O.C A.U S September 16, 2024
The Honorable Tom Carper
Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works
410 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Sam Graves
Chairman
U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
2165 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Shelly Moore Capito
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works
456 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Rick Larsen
Ranking Member
U.S. House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
2163 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: Request to Support and Advance the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act
Dear Chairman Carper, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Capito, and Ranking Member Larsen:
On behalf of the City of Coronado, I am writing to express my support for the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act, soon to be introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (CA) and Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-52). The legislation seeks to address the ongoing cross-border sewage crisis in the Tijuana and New River Watersheds.
As you may know, millions of gallons of contaminated water flows from Mexico into the United States on an almost daily occurrence. These contaminated flows from Mexico result in beach closures, public health concerns and impacts, environmental damage, and financial struggles for local businesses in the City of Coronado and other nearby cities. Furthermore, it has caused health issues for United States Navy SEALs, who train in these waters, and United States Homeland Security-Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers which disrupts our national security Item 12a.
and military readiness. Your support and swift advancement of the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act will contribute to a lasting solution to the decades-long issue of untreated sewage affecting the Tijuana River Valley and broader San Diego region.
Specifically, the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act would designate the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the primary agency responsible for coordinating the efforts of Federal, State, Tribal, and Local governments to plan and build infrastructure projects that address cross-border pollution in both Southern California watersheds in which polluted waters, sewage, and debris flow from Mexico into the United States.
Critically, the legislation also gives the U.S. EPA authority to transfer, accept, and distribute funds across Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners to construct, operate, and maintain associated water quality restoration projects. Additionally, the bill codifies the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP) to continually fund water infrastructure projects along the U.S. – Mexico border, including projects addressing the cross-boundary pollution crisis in San Diego.
The Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act is a critical step in mitigating and ending the cross-boundary pollution crisis in the Tijuana and New River watersheds by leveraging the management expertise of the EPA to implement a whole-of-government approach in response to this environmental, ecological, and economic disaster.
We look forward to further collaboration with you and your respective committee staffs to see this critical legislation swiftly moved through Congress and enacted into law. Moreover, the City of Coronado thanks you for your continued efforts to support vital projects aimed at confronting cross-border pollution.
Sincerely,
Richard Bailey
Mayor
CC: Coronado City Council