"On the U.S.-Mexico border, the International Boundary and Water Commission has the unglamorous job of stopping sewage flows and negotiating water disputes. Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner has earned allies in long-standing border conflicts, a job that won’t get any easier under Trump."
"EL PASO, Texas—From one end of the U.S.-Mexico border to the other, water and wastewater infrastructure are perennial problems.
In the Rio Grande Valley, farmers are running out of time to get more water from Mexico for their crops. In Imperial Beach, California, residents are fed up with raw sewage flowing over the border from Tijuana. The Colorado River states and Mexico are haggling over limited water.
In the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, the administration’s record on border environmental issues is still up for debate. Some will remember the record infrastructure investments that allowed many border residents to have drinking water in their homes for the first time. Or the agreements the U.S. struck with Mexico to share Colorado River and Rio Grande water. Others are left with the stench of sewage in their noses, as the flows from Tijuana into South Bay California continue unabated and solutions are still months or years away.
All these problems require collaboration with Mexico, which recently inaugurated environmental scientist Claudia Sheinbaum as its first woman president. She has pledged to prioritize water policy. Donald Trump will shake up that diplomatic relationship when he returns to the White House in January. Trump has promised to slam Mexico, the U.S.’s top trade partner, with export tariffs."
Martha Pskowski reports for Inside Climate News January 5, 2025.
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