Federal officials, including the head of the EPA, are in San Diego Thursday to discuss the Trump administration’s response to the years-long Tijuana River sewage crisis. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loef fler addressed the news media at 2:15 p.m. to talk about the situation, which has been ongoing for decades. The pair is also expected to meet with local business owners while touring the region. In recent years, the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem has closed beaches and caused serious health issues for some residents. Untreated wastewater from Mexico’s Tijuana River crosses the border into the United States and washes out to sea just south of Imperial Beach. Toxic Tide South Bay Jan 21 San Diego teenagers lobby in Sacramento for help with South Bay sewage crisis South Bay Jan 20 Supervisor Aguirre pushes for county reserve funds to alleviate toxic sewage crisis Jan 13 San Diego leaders ask for more money to fix toxic hot spot in Tijuana River Valley Tijuana River Jan 1 Rainstorm makes the heavily-polluted, toxic Tijuana River Valley worse Dec 26, 2025 State Sen. Catherine Blakespear calls attention to South Bay sewage crisis Imperial Beach Dec 15, 2025 US and Mexico sign ‘Minute 333' to push long-term fix for border sewage crisis The bacterial buildup from raw sewage in the wastewater has necessitated the closure of South Bay beaches almost without interruption for three years. Zeldin was in San Diego last April to get an up-close look at the persistent sewage issues plaguing the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the issue needs to be resolved with “extreme urgency.” Among those meeting with Zeldin at the time were San Diego County supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond; Reps. Darrell Issa and Mike Levin; Coronado mayor John Duncan; Chula Vista mayor John McCann; and El Cajon mayor Bill Wells. ...read more read less