Lee Zeldin on Capitol Hill for his Senate confirmation to serve as EPA administrator. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
Zeldin said that he is focused on the "specifics" of ending the issue, including drafting a "comprehensive list of everything that we believe with full confidence is going to end the crisis" for projects on both the U.S. side of the border and Mexico.
"We did it yesterday during the meeting, where one particular project as it relates to diverting 10 million gallons per day of water from the Tijuana River Valley, sewage from the Tijuana River valley to the dam, will help relieve stress," he said. "And they were saying it was going to take until the middle or end of 2027, and we started talking through it. It was a very good collaborative discussion where at the end of the back and forth, the Mexican officials were saying that they believe that we would be able to take off a year of that timeline."
MEXICO IS POISONING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN A BORDER CRISIS ALMOST NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT
The issue of sewage water flowing into U.S. waters is largely attributed to outdated wastewater infrastructure across the southern border.
Zeldin said his Mexican counterparts cited three infrastructure projects that were completed to help address the crisis — including the recently updated San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant — but that a handful of other projects are still in the works, such as installing new "international collector floodgates on the Tijuana River" and rehabilitating pumping plants.
Aerial view of the city of Tijuana, Mexico (top) and San Diego. (Getty Images)
MEXICAN SEWAGE GUSHING INTO NAVY SEAL TRAINING WATERS IS US' 'NEXT CAMP LEJEUNE,' VETS WARN
Zeldin was joined by local leaders during the press conference, including California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa and California Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, who recounted to the media that his fight to end the crisis was personal.
"My wife's nephew trained in Coronado as a Navy SEAL. And in his 20s, he wound up getting cancer," Levin said. "We don't definitively know whether that cancer was caused by his service. We know that he's gotten a lot better. … But like so many Marines and others — our Border Patrol and members of the community — they're impacted by toxic sewage in the water. We're impacted in the air."
Zeldin said he was headed to meet with Navy SEALs after wrapping up the press conference.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commended Zeldin for the trip during the White house press conference on Tuesday, adding that President Donald Trump is committed to having the "cleanest air and the cleanest water."
"I would also add from the president himself, he has always maintained he wants America to have the cleanest air and the cleanest water. And we want to do what's right for our environment and for our earth," she said.
United States Naval Special Warfare Command headquartered in San Diego and is also where Navy SEAL candidates complete their arduous six-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
In February, the Department of Defense's inspector general released a report finding that the Naval Special Warfare Center reported 1,168 cases of acute gastrointestinal illnesses among SEAL candidates between January 2019 and May 2023 alone.
"Navy SEAL candidate exposure to contaminated water occurred because (Naval Special Warfare Command) did not follow San Diego County's Beach and Bay Water Quality Program's beach closure postings," the inspector general report found. "As a result of Navy SEAL candidate exposure to contaminated water during training, candidates are presented with increased health risks and NAVSPECWARCOM's training mission could be impacted."
Sewage water spills into Playa Blanca beach in the coast of Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on March 21, 2024. (Getty Images)
"This is going to be, in my opinion, the next Camp Lejeune water problem that cost our government $21 to $25 billion," VetComm CEO Kate Monroe told Fox Digital earlier in April. "That's just in the compensation directly, like the lawsuit portion of it. That doesn't cover all the compensation you have to pay these veterans tax-free for the rest of their lives. I would say that this issue here in San Diego, if you look at it over the time that people have been training here, you're looking at another $21 to $25 billion, plus all of the compensation that's going to come. It would be cheaper for our country to fix this than it would to allow it to continue."
US SENATOR BLASTS PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, SAYS TOXIC SEWAGE DUMP THREATENS ‘NATIONAL SECURITY’
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!"
Local leaders have been sounding the alarm on the sewage problem, including Imperial Beach's Mayor Paloma Aguirre, who sent a letter to Zeldin in March describing how the raw sewage has sparked one of "America’s most horrendous environmental and public health disaster" as billions of gallons have polluted the Pacific Ocean since 2023 alone.
A photo of Mexican sewage flowing into the U.S. (Rob Sweetman)
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 not only affected Navy SEALs, but also tourism and homeowners, according to the mayor's letter.
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"Our residents, are getting ill due to polluted air," the letter stated. "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."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/epa-chief-zeldin-launches-talks-mexico-end-sewage-hitting-san-diego-navy-seals-out-patience