San Diego County Approves $5.8M for Tijuana River Sewage Capture

San Diego County supervisors voted on September 2, 2026, to advance a major local initiative to capture and treat sewage from the Tijuana River, approving $5.8 million in initial funding for a new treatment system and a permanent fix for a toxic air pollution hot spot. The board voted 4-1 to launch the Tijuana River Capture and Cleanup Initiative, with Supervisor Joel Anderson casting the lone dissenting vote. A separate measure to address failing infrastructure at Saturn Boulevard passed unanimously. The initiative directs the county's chief administrative officer to begin an 18-month project development and engineering analysis, funded by $1.8 million from county reserves. It also converts the board's ad hoc subcommittee on the sewage crisis into a standing committee with permanent oversight. A second measure allocates $4 million to advance design, environmental review, and permitting for a permanent box culvert project at Saturn Boulevard, where hydrogen sulfide levels have reached 16 times the state air quality standard. That work will proceed alongside a $2.5 million interim pipe extension project already underway, with construction anticipated in 2027.