Bill to Float Bond for Sewage Cleanup at Border Clears Panel

Despite continuing signals of opposition from Gov. George Deukmejian, a bill authorizing a $150-million bond issue for facilities to clean up Mexican sewage that pollutes border areas cleared its final committee hurdle Monday.

The bill, by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), which would place the bond measure on next November’s ballot, was approved, 8-0, by the Senate Appropriations Committee and sent to the full Senate.

Besides the bond election, the bill would appropriate $1 million for start-up costs on cleanup and treatment facilities, and another $1 million for emergency efforts and studies in Imperial County.

Deukmejian has said he opposes spending state money to tackle the border pollution problem because it is the responsibility of Mexico and the federal government.

But Brown noted that despite a serious health threat to residents of San Diego and Imperial counties, the federal government has done nothing during the last 10 years. He said the bond measure might provide “an inspiration” for U.S. and Mexican officials to act.

For years, waste water flowing from Tijuana and Mexicali has been a persistent problem. Some of Tijuana’s sewage is treated in the San Diego municipal treatment system, but other millions of gallons pollute area beaches, farms, rivers and canyons daily.

Brown said sewage facilities that would be built with the bond funds will only begin to solve the overall problem.

“It will take about a billion dollars to really treat the symptoms,” Brown said.