California: While Trump drags his feet, Governor Newsom delivers $46M to help address the federally managed water crisis at the border

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Jun 11, 2026

While Trump drags his feet, Governor Newsom delivers $46M to help address the federally managed water crisis at the border

Funding targets contamination in the Tijuana River and New River, while California presses Trump to repair the federally managed infrastructure at the center of the crisis

What you need to know: As the federal government fails to repair key infrastructure at the heart of the Tijuana River crisis, Governor Newsom is deploying $46 million in voter-approved Prop 4 funding to help address the long-running water quality crisis at the California-Mexico border.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the availability of $46 million in voter-approved Prop 4 funding to combat the ongoing water quality issues at the California-Mexico border, while calling on the Trump administration to fulfill its responsibility to deliver a permanent fix to the federally managed Tijuana River wastewater treatment facility at the center of the crisis. This adds to the $38 million previously allocated by the state as it continues to wait for the federal government to meet its obligations.

People in San Diego County shouldn't have to worry about getting sick, losing access to their beaches, and living with polluted air. California has stepped up repeatedly, but we can't solve a decades-long federal failure on our own. The Trump administration must do its part, honor its commitments, and finally deliver the lasting solutions this community deserves, and they have a moral obligation to provide.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The State Water Resources Control Board on Thursday opened the grant application period, making the $46 million in funding available for eligible projects that address contamination in the cross-border rivers and coastal waters. Projects that achieve load reductions of bacteria or trash, address public health issues associated with transboundary pollution, and support restoration and mitigation, and sediment management will be awarded through a competitive process.

This funding targets real, on-the-ground improvements while the state continues to press the Trump administration to fulfill its responsibility.

California is continuing to step up as the federal government, which is responsible for the key wastewater treatment facility on the Tijuana River, has yet to deliver a permanent fix — despite EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's commitment to a "100% solution" in July 2025.

In May, Governor Newsom traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for communities impacted and urge Administrator Zeldin to meet the administration's obligation to deliver interagency cooperation, repair wastewater treatment infrastructure, and improve monitoring of the Tijuana River.

Understanding the cross-border pollution crisis

The Tijuana River flows from Mexico into the United States. In South San Diego County, the river is increasingly degraded by sewage, trash, and other debris from upstream regions just over the border in Mexico, including the city of Tijuana. The federal government is responsible for a wastewater treatment plant (the International Boundary Commission's South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Ysidro) is responsible for treating water in the river, but has fallen far short. As a result, pollutants accumulate in Smuggler's Gulch, a collection system that includes gates to intercept and divert trash before it reaches the Pacific Ocean.

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The New River is a severely polluted inland waterway that flows north across the border and through the city of Calexico and continues to the Salton Sea, some 60 miles away. While discharges from U.S. sources are treated and disinfected to meet state and federal standards, the water entering the country contains raw sewage, industrial, domestic, and agricultural waste, trash, and other solid pollutants — largely due to Mexicali's overburdened and deteriorating infrastructure.

Addressing the Tijuana River crisis

The Governor continues to advocate for the Trump administration to fund repairs and quickly complete infrastructure to protect public health and end the environmental crisis at the Tijuana River.  The state has called on the federal government to:

• Work with Mexico to ensure the full suite of projects negotiated to address this crisis are funded and implemented.
• Repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In 2024, Governor Newsom secured critical funding and support to address cross-border pollution from the Tijuana River, The Governor has urged the White House, the State Department, U.S. EPA, and Congress to take action and dedicate more funds to the International Wastewater Treatment Plant — the facility that treats Tijuana sewage before it reaches the Pacific Ocean — which resulted in an additional $100 million federal investment. California stands ready to assist the federal government as it fulfills its responsibility to address the crisis on the river.

Since 2019, California has allocated approximately $38 million for Tijuana River water quality improvements, including:

• $1 million to fund Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
• $9 million to operate and maintain Goat Canyon sediment and trash basins.
• $4.7 million to Rural Community Assistance Corporation's Tijuana River Trash Boom pilot project.
• $14.25 million for the Smuggler's Gulch Improvement Project.
• $3.3 million for the Tijuana River Valley Habitat and Hydrology Restoration Project.
• $3 million to develop a model to forecast the presence of pathogens in San Diego coastal and tidal waters and help measure the effectiveness of potential projects in the Tijuana River Valley.
• $2.7 million to the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District allocated for 10,000 air purifiers.

What the new funding will support

At least one project from each river will be selected. Of the $46 million grant program, the maximum grant amount for planning or research projects is $750,000, and $10 million for implementation projects. The Implementation Project's maximum grant amount may go up to $20 million with State Water Board Deputy Director approval. No more than $3 million will be provided for planning or research projects. For guidelines, eligibility, and procedures visit the Proposition 4 US Mexico Border Grant Program Guidelines webpage.

Funding for this program was made available by Prop 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act, approved by California voters in 2024.

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Applications can be submitted online through the Board's FAAST Website. A webinar will be held to help potential applicants with their application. More information, registration for the webinar, and required attachments can be found on the program webpage.

Solicitations will be accepted from June 11, 8 a.m. through August 31, 5 p.m.

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