Fund the Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program FY2022

The legislature is providing more funding for infrastructure needs to address transboundary pollution along the US/Mexico border. The US/Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program (BWIP) has received $32 Million in funding for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. This is a $2 Million increase from FY2021. We are celebrating this increase and the continuation of an upward trend in funding for BWIP in recent years. This is a substantial victory considering this program was at risk of being zeroed out completely by past President Budget proposals. Although we believe this is a victory and milestone, our overarching goal for BWIP is to secure full funding at $100 Million.

The funding for BWIP can be used for clean water infrastructure on either side of the US/Mexico border. The transboundary pollution issues in South San Diego County are so severe that our Southern San Diego beaches are closed for most of the year. The proposed solution by the EPA is Alternative I-2, a comprehensive package of infrastructure projects with an estimated cost of $625 Million and only $300 Million in funding. BWIP could be used to address the gap in funding to build Alternative I-2 and fund other infrastructure projects to address the pollution that is closing our beaches.