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Calexico mayor asks state to sustain funding and attention for New River, warns Salton Sea dust spreads beyond Imperial County
Summary
Calexico Mayor Diana Nuri Combo asked the State Water Resources Control Board to keep Imperial County visible in state planning and to continue using bond funds to address New River pollution and worsening Salton Sea dust impacts that she said now travel as far as Los Angeles.
Diana Nuri Combo, mayor of Calexico, told the State Water Resources Control Board on Sept. 16 that pollution in the New River — a 60-mile waterway the mayor described as “one of the most severely polluted rivers in the United States” — creates upstream contamination that reaches the Salton Sea and contributes to airborne toxic dust when the lakebed evaporates.
Combo said the New River carries agricultural drainage, industrial waste, garbage and raw sewage through Calexico and Imperial County and that those contaminants are concentrated at the Salton Sea as its water level drops. “The New River isn't just a Calexico problem nor an Imperial County problem, but a California problem that demands our continued attention,” she told the board.
Combo said the city and county lack the federal attention and resources available to larger coastal cities but that state partnerships and recent legislative attention have kept Imperial County in conversations about cross-border pollution. She thanked state leaders and legislators — including Sen. Steve Padilla and Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia, whom she named — and noted close to $50 million had been appropriated to address water-quality problems caused by cross-border rivers.
The mayor said Calexico has shovel-ready projects that can move if funding continues. She emphasized that Calexico is a major border gateway with more than 16 million vehicle crossings annually and urged the board to “keep Calexico in your sight line” when allocating resources for the border region.
Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel acknowledged the mayor’s comments, referenced a recent ribbon-cutting for a trash-screen and river rediversion project in the region, and said the board is still determining how to split bond dollars among border watersheds. Esquivel said the board and regional staff would continue working with local officials on timelines and decision-making for the appropriated funds.
Ending: Combo asked the board to maintain the partnership with Calexico and Imperial County and to use state funding to help communities address both direct river pollution and secondary airborne impacts from the Salton Sea.
