What we learned this year: We’re still trying to fix the TJ River on the US side
At the start of 2021, it looked like the federal government might get serious about combatting the Tijuana River crisis by spending real money in Mexico, at the source of the problem. The excitement spilled over the border. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had some $300 million at its disposal, after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement dedicated funds to the cross-border pollution saga. Margarita Diaz, an environmental activist with Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambienta in Tijuana, was hopeful a big chunk of that money could go to fix long-broken pipes, pumps and treatment plants in Mexico.