U.S. Ambassador to Mexico to Visit NOAA Marine Debris Program-Funded Project in Tijuana, Mexico
FEB. 14, 2022 — On Feb. 14, 2022, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, is scheduled to visit a NOAA Marine Debris Program funded project site in Tijuana, Mexico. The project is being implemented by the nongovernmental organization, WILDCOAST, to reduce the amount of marine debris entering the Tijuana River from the Los Laureles Canyon tributary in Mexico.
WILDCOAST received $175,950 in grant funds from the program that were appropriated through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act. Los Laureles Canyon is a significant source of solid waste, including trash, tires, sewage, and other pollutants, that drains into the Tijuana River and flows to the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The project will capture debris with a trash boom, dispose of the collected debris, and conduct outreach in Tijuana to support behavior change that reduces single-use plastic and polyethylene foam consumption in the city.
The Marine Debris Program designed a grant competition in fiscal year 2021 to allocate approximately half of the $8 million in USMCA funds received and 10 grants were awarded that funded projects addressing marine debris in border areas in North America.
For more information, please contact Steve.Morrison@noaa.gov.