Tijuana to pay $5 million to import water from California

SAN DIEGO ( Border Report ) — The state of Baja California will get 200 liters of water per second from the San Diego County Water Authority to help Tijuana residents during the hot summer months.

The water will be delivered through an international line that crosses the border from San Diego to Tijuana.

“There is a greater demand when it gets hot,” said Carlos Alberto Machado Parra, director in Tijuana for Baja’s Public Service and Planning Commission (CESPT). “We always maintain this binational connection so we can supply neighborhoods that may be short on supply, we’ll store it in the Carrizo Dam.”

Machado Parra stated his department is prepared to pay 85 million pesos, or about $5 million, for the water this summer.

The water comes from the Colorado River north of the border, but is brought to the area by the San Diego County Water Authority according to CESPT.

Machado Parra told reporters last week that water deliveries from California may increase beyond the summer months should the need arise or there are breakdowns in Tijuana’s water infrastructure.

In 2023, CESPT paid almost $1.7 million for similar water deliveries, according to public records.

“The Carrizo Dam needs to have at least 16 million cubic meters of water stored so we can supply customers, especially on the east side of the city, this helps maintain that level,” said Machado Parra.

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