CONGRESSMAN DR. RAUL RUIZ SECURES EPA ADMINISTRATOR'S COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS NEW RIVER CRISIS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) pressed The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin at the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment hearing on the FY2027 EPA Budget, securing a commitment from the Administrator to visit the New River region, engage with the binational water quality study, and apply the same federal model used to address the Tijuana River crisis to the New River in Imperial Valley.
"The New River is considered the most polluted waterway in North America," said Congressman Ruiz. "The difference between the Tijuana River and the New River is not legal authority or technical capacity, it is attention and urgency."
Dr. Ruiz detailed the severe conditions facing communities along the New River, which originates south of Mexicali carrying raw sewage, industrial waste, pesticides, and heavy metals across the border into Calexico before traveling sixty miles through Imperial County and emptying into the Salton Sea. Fecal coliform levels at the Calexico crossing have reached nearly 70,000 times the federal treaty limit.
Dr. Ruiz also highlighted the human toll on Imperial Valley communities, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents reporting flu-like symptoms, blurred vision, severe headaches, and rashes after contact with the river, and students living nearby calling 911 from classrooms due to shortness of breath.
Critically, Administrator Zeldin committed to not waiting for the release of the upcoming binational water quality study summary in June, announcing that EPA Region 9 leadership is planning a visit to meet with Dr. Ruiz and his staff on May 11, with a follow-up visit under discussion.
"The urgency, we're not going to wait until June and wait for the report," said Administrator Zeldin. "I believe that the model that has worked to approach MOU and Minute in Tijuana is a focus that can work in New River, and we look forward to working with you on it."
Dr. Ruiz called on the EPA to use the findings of the binational study as the basis for a new IBWC Minute to replace Minute 264, an interim agreement signed in 1980 that was never updated despite decades of worsening conditions, and to formalize coordination through a Memorandum of Understanding as quickly as possible.
Dr. Ruiz also raised serious concerns about the Administration's proposed FY2027 budget, which would cut the Clean Water State Revolving Fund by nearly 90 percent, a reduction of $2.6 billion to the lowest level since the Reagan era.
"This is the moment when federal investment is vital to match the scale of this crisis," said Ruiz. "The Clean Water State Revolving Fund exists precisely for situations like this. Imperial County cannot fund a binational solution on its own."
BACKGROUND:
The New River has been recognized as a public health crisis since the 1940s. It is governed by the same 1944 Water Treaty and IBWC framework as the Tijuana River, with the same diplomatic and legal tools available. California voters approved $50 million in bond funding through Proposition 4 for border river cleanup, and the State Water Board finalized distribution rules last week. An IBWC-led binational water quality study launched in October 2024 and is currently in its analysis phase, with a summary expected in June 2026.
KEY TERMS:Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): A formal agreement between agencies outlining how they will coordinate and work together the critical first step before a binding binational agreement can be negotiated. In this case it would be between the United States and Mexico
IBWC Minute: A binding binational agreement under the 1944 Water Treaty between the United States. and Mexico that establishes specific infrastructure and cleanup commitments. Dr. Ruiz is pushing to replace the outdated Minute 264signed in 1980 and never updated with a new Minute that matches the scale of today's crisis.