Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006 | As a former long time resident of the Imperial Beach area, I was intimately involved in the planning process for the International Wastewater Treatment Plant (IBWC) and subsequent planning for treating the effluent from that plant. Bajagua was developed as a rational and less expensive way to treat the effluent from the plant to tertiary quality and provide reclaimed water that can be used in landscaping and manufacturing.
The original decision to pursue building Bajagua was based on reduced land costs and the opportunity to provide reclaimed water for use in manufacturing plants located in Otay Mesa on the Mexican side of the border. Construction of the IBWC cost the U.S. taxpayers $400 million. It was the solution to stopping sewage flows across the border; however, it is a dry weather plant only. The major objection to Bajagua seems to be that it is a privately run company rather than a public works project.