The U.S. section of International Boundary and Water Commission has agreed to more tests of water, sediment and trash samples in the Tijuana River and adjacent canyons along the U.S.-Mexico border to determine effects of decades of transboundary raw sewage flows into the U.S. side of the river valley and, eventually, the Pacific Ocean—awarding a five-year, $1.9 million contract to EGC-AGEISS, a San Antonio environmental engineering joint venture.

The sampling program was developed with input from the regulatory community and the Minute 320 water quality workgroup created by the U.S.-Mexico border management agency to address ongoing problems with sewage overflows. It said the testing program will characterize transboundary flows and develop an ongoing warehouse of water quality and sediment data to plan future projects to mitigate the pollution effects and make safety recommendations to residents and landowners.