Lynette Niebla
CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) – Federal, state, and local leaders gathered in Calexico to inspect the ongoing environmental and public health crisis plaguing the New River, signaling a renewed, coordinated push for a permanent solution to decades of transboundary pollution.
The heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) toured recent infrastructure improvements before hosting a public roundtable meeting at the City of Calexico Fernando “Nene” Torres Council Chambers to hear directly from impacted stakeholders.
For decades, toxic waste has flowed north across the U.S.-Mexico border through the New River. The pollution causes significant ecological and health damage to Calexico residents and local communities stretching all the way to the Salton Sea.
Now, the City of Calexico’s “New River Project” functions as a temporary defense system by screening heavy trash out of the water as it crosses the international border.
Michael Martucci, the EPA’s Region 9 Administrator, noted that localized infrastructure makes an immediate difference, but stressed it is only a starting point.
“The project like the one that we’re standing at today goes a long way to improving the quality of life for folks diverting polluted flows away from communities,” Martucci said. “But at the end of the day, we are now looking toward bigger goals, cause that involve actually addressing the pollution at its source.”
The pathway forward is complex, requiring a broad coalition of stakeholders to navigate the challenges.
“The pathway forward is certainly not an easy one,” Martucci added. “My hope today is to connect with the community, understand those concerns even better and then make marked progress both near term and long-term progress on steps necessary to address this permanently.”
Reaching those long-term goals is increasingly urgent. The U.S. and Mexican Sections of the IBWC routinely collect water samples twice a month to monitor the system and react to spills.
Both sections conducted a comprehensive Binational Water Quality Study from November 2024 to December 2025 with participation from Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and laboratory analysis in the United States.
While the official report is still being prepared by the IBWC, preliminary results show high bacteria levels along with nutrients, trace elements, and organic chemicals.
Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) highlighted the human toll of this contaminated water.
“There’s been a lot of irritation of the eyes, a lot of pulmonary diseases, high rates of asthma and there’s suspicion that it is causing cancers in the local population,” Rep. Ruiz said. “So it is important for us to get together to solve this problem and clean up the new river.”
However, securing a permanent fix requires resolving severe local financial gaps. While state grants funded the initial construction of the current trash-screening system, local budgets cannot keep up with operational demands.
California Assembly member Jeff Gonzalez (R-District 36) revealed that the project is facing a critical deficit.
“Yes, the state did pay for this through grants but the current operation and maintenance budget is not there,” Assembly member Gonzalez explained. “It’s $150,000 but yeah it takes $300,000 just to manage so they’re upside down so we need state to step in and we need the federal to step in.”
American infrastructure and funding represent only one half of the equation. Because the pollution originates across the border, officials emphasized that lasting success depends on binational accountability and moving past documentation into physical construction.
“The USIBWC is very excited about getting into this action oriented process,” said USIBWC Commissioner McIntosh. “I’ve got great scientists and engineers in the commission and they’re just aching to get the job done and get past the study stage so we’re very excited to be here.”
However, McIntosh noted that the structural source of the problem must be built where the waste originates.
“Part of the issue that we’re facing is that this type of project should really be on the other side of the border so the kind of discussions we’re gonna be having is getting Mexico to step up to take responsibility to deal with the issues that are their issues,” McIntosh explained.
Leaders are drawing stark comparisons between the Imperial Valley’s crisis and San Diego’s ongoing sewage battles in the Tijuana River Valley. Officials believe that replicating the aggressive federal and diplomatic strategy used in San Diego could accelerate cleanup efforts in Calexico.
“It involves several pieces…it involves infrastructure, right? Infrastructure is something that we must study, it takes a while to build, but it’s ultimately part of that solution,” Martucci explained. “And the other part is holding Mexico accountable for the pollution that they’re sending here over the border and that involves efforts pressure that this agency and IBWC has brought in places like Tijuana to see marked improvements, which is all part of our solution.”
The recent site tour and City Hall roundtable have injected a sense of momentum into the region, leaving community members hopeful that new construction will finally cut through decades of bureaucratic red tape.
City officials stated that until a permanent, binational solution is fully realized, Calexico will continue operating the New River Project to keep the waterway as clean as humanly possible.
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Luis Barajas. Courtesy: Arizona Western College
Richard H. Schuman (1926-1993). Courtesy: Arizona Western College
