EPA chief Lee Zeldin will head to San Diego on April 22, 2025 to witness reported Mexican sewage flowing into U.S. waters firsthand. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"Administrator Zeldin is committed to ensuring every American has access to clean air, land and water, and he looks forward to the opportunity to get out to San Diego next week."
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Zeldin first addressed the sewage problem in March before previewing the trip to take the issue head on.
"I was just briefed that Mexico is dumping large amounts of raw sewage into the Tijuana River, and it’s now seeping into the U.S.," he posted to X March 8. "This is unacceptable. Mexico MUST honor its commitments to control this pollution and sewage!"
He previewed in another X post in April that he would travel to the "California-Mexico border in the coming weeks where disgusting Mexican sewage is harming our precious environment in the United States."
The Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) class participates in a surf passage training exercise at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California. (Getty Images)
The letter called on Zeldin to assist with the crisis by authorizing a new review of the Lower Tijuana River Valley’s sewage crisis for Superfund designation. The crisis has affected tourism, homeowners and the Navy SEALs, who train at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, as well as surrounding beaches in the massive Southern California county.
"Our residents, are getting ill due to polluted air," the letter continued. "Workers, including Navy Seals training in the area, have been sickened on the job by waterborne and aerosolized diseases. Many homeowners have been forced to place air quality monitors on their property so they know whether or not its safe to go outside. And the economic impact is profound, with the sewage crisis hurting area tourism, maritime industry jobs and local property values."
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer patrols in a truck along the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Imperial Beach, San Diego, Jan. 25, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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A Department of Defense Inspector General report published Feb. 7 determined that between January 2019 and May 2023, more than 1,000 Navy SEALs and SEAL candidates became sick after training in the water, including with acute gastrointestinal illnesses.
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