An earthen berm made up of dirt and debris blocks the flow of waster from Mexico into the United States in the Tijuana River, June 14, 2022.
Reps. Juan Vargas, Scott Peters and Sara Jacobs, all D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point/northern coastal San Diego County, penned the amendment, which would establish a federal program — the Tijuana River Public Health and Water Quality Restoration Program — to plan, coordinate and provide grants for public health and water quality restoration projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
According to the Surfrider Foundation's 2023 Clean Water Report, not once did the waters off Imperial Beach meet state health standards last year. In April, environmental nonprofit American Rivers called the Tijuana River one of the country's"most endangered." Also that month, state Sen. Steve Padilla — whose district includes southern San Diego County — said that he would introduce environmental justice legislation to tackle border pollution.