Rep. Darrell Issa is again demanding a full accounting of how a wastewater treatment plant at the U.S.-Mexico border was allowed to deteriorate, discharging untreated sewage into the Tijuana River watershed.
Issa, R-Bonsall, wrote a letter last week to Maria-Elena Giner, commissioner of the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, which manages the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
He asks Giner to identify those responsible for ensuring timely maintenance of the facility, describe the reporting problems that led to the unresolved repairs, and explain why the IBWC did not review maintenance reports and what it has done to prevent that from happening again. He also asks whether the IBWC or its contractors self-audit or have been audited.
The letter follows an October correspondence from Issa and other San Diego lawmakers to the U.S. Department of State asking for answers as to how the South Bay plant deteriorated to its current state. Responses from both the department and Giner lacked specifics, Issa said.
In a statement Wednesday, Giner said a response to Issa’s latest letter will be provided within two weeks.
“Since I became Commissioner in August 2021, the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission has made it a priority to be as transparent and responsive as possible regarding our plans to repair, rehabilitate, and expand the South Bay plant,” she added. “We look forward to collaborating with Rep. Issa and others on achieving the improvements needed at our plant as well as implementing our new asset management program, which will lead to preventive maintenance of all our infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico Border.”
The San Ysidro-based plant repeatedly takes more sewage from Tijuana than it was designed to handle. In 2020, Congress approved $300 million to double the capacity of the facility, but it was revealed last year that it needs substantial repairs costing about $150 million. The price to complete maintenance and expand the system has ballooned to $900 million because of previous underestimates and changes in the costs of materials, Giner told the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board during a September briefing.
According to the letter, Issa’s office learned during another briefing that the IBWC did not review several years of previous maintenance reports provided by its facility contractor. He said Giner also “admitted that the IBWC never engaged in any real cost estimation analysis” for the $300 million previously granted and that no “clear rationale” was provided for requesting $310 million more.
“We simply cannot overlook IBWC’s failure to oversee the proper maintenance and management of this facility and its unsupported requests for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding with no end in sight,” Issa said in his letter.
When asked about Issa’s statements regarding the briefing, Giner said the Commission was “studying the Congressman’s letter.”
Meanwhile, pressure is ramping up to get Congress’ approval of $310 million in emergency spending that officials said is needed to help fix and expand the South Bay plant.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently wrote to Senate and House leaders urging them to approve President Joe Biden’s October request to greenlight that funding. And a South County delegation traveled to Capitol Hill to make their case for why the money should be appropriated and that the IBWC be audited.
But Issa wants to know how the IBWC arrived at the $310 million cost estimate, as well as the $300 million that was granted in 2020.
“While it is clear the project requires further investment, additional expenditures must be accompanied by a higher level of accountability to ensure results are delivered to the region,” he said in his letter.
The IBWC has said one of its main challenges is having only a $50 million budget to cover all construction projects along the border. Despite that, officials said they are moving forward with plans to remedy the sewage crisis. The latest efforts include soliciting for the design and construction of the plant’s rehabilitation and expansion. Construction is expected to start within one year of the contract award.
