U.S.-Mexico accord targets Tijuana River pollution

Mexico and the United States on Monday signed an agreement aimed at addressing persistent problems of sediment, trash and polluted stormwater in the Tijuana River watershed.

The binding accord, known as Minute 320, sets up a framework to formally address these issues. It enables creation of binational stakeholder groups to “jointly identify measures that require cooperative action to benefit the residents on both sides of the border,” according to wording in the pact.

Participants from government agencies and the nonprofit sector will focus on three areas: sediment control, solid-waste management and water quality.

Minute 320 falls under the 1944 water treaty between the U.S. and Mexico. It comes after more than two years of discussions and was negotiated through the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission and its Mexican counterpart, Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas.

U.S. Commissioner Edward Drusina and Mexican Commisioner Roberto Salmon signed the document Monday night during a ceremony at the Tijuana Cultural Center.

The problems affecting the watershed, a 1,735-square-mile area that spans Tijuana and San Diego, are especially apparent during and after heavy rains, when pollution from Tijuana shantytowns is carried to the river’s mouth at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Reserve in Imperial Beach.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1716 Twitter: @sandradibble