Water Quality

The Border Affairs Unit established a strong environmental technical assistance program in response to various water and wastewater infrastructure operation and maintenance related requests from the State of Baja California.

Together with California State University, Sacramento, the SWRCB and Baja California have developed written and video worker training materials for use by domestic wastewater and industrial wastewater workers in the State of Baja California and throughout Mexico.

Since 1997, the Border Affairs Unit (BAU) has successfully worked and continues to coordinate with the State of Baja California and the City of San Diego to establish an Industrial Wastewater Monitoring & Pretreatment Program in the Cities of Tijuana, Tecate, Mexicali and Ensenada, Baja California. Through this program, the BAU has contributed and will continue to contribute technical services in the form of training workshops, and/or sampling and analyses of industrial wastewater discharges. The BAU has also transferred and will continue to facilitate the transfer of highly specialized laboratory, sampling and analytical equipment to Baja California environmental agencies. For the past five years, Mexican authorities have used donated equipment and technical assistance to assist in Baja California's regulatory efforts. Baja California's efforts have led to fines and/or temporarily closing half of a dozen industrial operations until their wastewater was pre-treated to meet local standards.

The Border Affairs Unit and the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB-7) represent Cal/EPA on the Salton Sea Science Advisory Committee and coordinate and facilitate participation by Cal/EPA Boards, Departments and Office in Salton Sea Restoration Program activities. The committee has provided guidance to major environmental documents and engineering evaluations related to the Imperial Irrigation District - San Diego County Water Authority water transfer, restoration of the Colorado River Delta, and the Salton Sea Restoration Program.

The Border Affairs Unit and RWQCB7 participate in a Binational Technical Committee that is working to resolve the issue of untreated wastewater discharges into the New River.

The Border Affairs Unit has also responded to technical assistance requests from the State of Baja California Sur regarding wastewater infrastructure problems in the City of La Paz.