Organizer/Sponsor:
Calexico New River Committee
www.calexiconewriver.com
The Institute for Socio-Economic Justice and Progressive Community Development
The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
www.ejcw.org
Miriam Torres
510-286-8400
Event
Main Issues/Sites
The New River flows through the border city of Calexico and has been characterized as the most polluted river in North America. The New River originates near Mexicali, Mexico, crosses the border, and flows north 66 miles through Calexico and regions of the Imperial County, California before discharging into the Salton Sea.
The Calexico New River is made up of 70% waste material and contains raw sewage, urban and agricultural runoff laden with heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The New River water has been found to contain bacteria and viruses known to cause human disease including streptococcus, tuberculosis, encephalitis arbovirus, polio, cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid. The contamination and pathogens found in the River threaten the health and quality of life of communities from Calexico, at the border, to the Torres Martinez Tribe, on the north end of the Salton Sea. Calexico is a predominantly Latino community with about twenty five percent of the population living below the poverty line. The chronic neglect by the regulatory agencies has created an environmental injustice that has persisted for too long - - the health threat to these individuals and those living in the areas is unacceptable.
Mexico has encased the New River for five miles immediately south of the international border, to protect its citizens from exposure, and has instituted and continues to plan for and make improvements to its sewage collection and wastewater treatment systems. Mexico’s effort, however, has been limited by lack of funding, the need to address higher priorities, and by the explosive industrial and population growth within Mexicali, more noticeably since the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 1994. The Mexican government recently received approval from the North American Development Bank, and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission for loans totaling $137.2 million, which may potentially be used for the treatment of sewage currently flowing into the New River. The funded projects have yet to be determined.
Grassroots groups have organized the community to raise awareness on the issue and propose community-based solutions for mitigation. One of these groups, The Calexico New River Committee is trying to push a multi-part project to encase, clean, and treat the river. The Committee has been instrumental in rallying support from the State legislature, which recently passed a bill to permit the encasement of the New River for the 3.5 miles that runs through Calexico. The Committee has also proposed a comprehensive clean up plan, which is estimated to cost $80 million.
Although Congress has allocated $25 million for the New River, this falls short of the costs estimated for a comprehensive clean-up project. The California legislature has not authorized funding for the New River projects within the United States, stating that it is an international problem, and, therefore, negotiating a solution is the responsibility of the United States federal government. The New River needs to be treated as an urgent and long-neglected human health problem by providing for a comprehensive remediation effort that incorporates coordinating with the Mexican government. California and the US Federal government need to demonstrate greater commitment to protecting the affected communities by providing the funds and resources to mitigate New River contamination.