South Bay communities are one step closer to relief from a major air pollution hotspot after the California Coastal Commission approved a county-initiated project Wednesday to extend culvert pipes at the Saturn Boulevard crossing of the Tijuana River, where cascading sewage and industrial waste have blanketed nearby neighborhoods in toxic gases for years. Separately, the federal agency tasked with trans-boundary flow and wastewater treatment at the U.S.-Mexico border, the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, told local officials at a San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board meeting Wednesday they are trying to achieve near-zero dry-weather river flow by late 2027, as advocates and board members pushed back on the agency’s transparency and the slow pace of progress.

Other Tijuana River news:

• The Associated Press: Newsom opens millions of dollars of voter-approved funding to help address Tijuana River pollution
• SFGate: Permit approved and funding declared to clean up California toxic river
• Voice of San Diego: No, the governor did not just give $46 million to the Tijuana River
• Times of San Diego: Opinion: Outrage alone won’t solve the Tijuana River sewage crisis
• San Diego County: News release: New steps toward reducing Tijuana River valley pollution