I have visited the site to check in on construction and will continue to closely monitor progress.
Continue closely monitoring progress on the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater treatment plant replacement.
Occurrences
Evidence
The San Diego Water Board’s June 10, 2026 agenda includes an oral report from the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission on spill and transboundary flow events, influent action levels and source control requirements, state of the ocean, state of the Tijuana River Valley, and an update on the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion.
EPA and SEMARNAT report that the Minute 333 work group has been established to review engineering and financial feasibility studies by the end of March 2026 for an ocean outfall at the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant and to recommend any additional studies and work that may be needed; EPA also says it will continue providing quarterly public updates on implementation progress.
The June 10 agenda includes an item for an International Boundary and Water Commission oral report covering spill and transboundary flow events, source control requirements, the state of the Tijuana River Valley, and an update on expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant.
AP reported that California opened $46 million for Tijuana River cleanup and noted that the U.S. and Mexico signed an agreement last year to upgrade wastewater plants, while EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said it will take a couple of years to fix the crisis.
Assessments
The record shows the San Antonio de los Buenos replacement remained under active public and binational review during Vargas's current term, including EPA/SEMARNAT work under Minute 333, quarterly public updates, and a June 10, 2026 San Diego Water Board briefing on related wastewater-system progress. That supports that monitoring was continuing in the policy space. But the evidence provided does not clearly document Vargas himself conducting identifiable oversight actions such as hearings, letters, public demands, or other direct monitoring steps. Because the promise was specifically about his continued monitoring and candidate-specific credit is thin, this is better scored as partial rather than full delivery.
The evidence shows active federal oversight of the San Antonio de los Buenos wastewater project, including a binational work group and scheduled quarterly public updates, so the monitoring objective appears to be underway. However, the record does not show Juan Vargas himself driving or being credited for that monitoring, so this is better treated as partial rather than a fully attributable delivery.