(COACHELLA) – Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia will host a public meeting to discuss the New River and the State of California’s plan to address this long standing environmental issue in Imperial County. This is the second meeting this year that will provide an update to the community given allocated funding to address this public health and safety concern.
“I am pleased we secured $1.4 million for the New River in the budget to begin implementing projects to reduce the public health and safety risks to the community posed by the New River. This has been a long-standing concern for the residents of Calexico and the Imperial Valley, especially because it is one of the most polluted rivers in the nation,” commented Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia. “By working collaboratively with the community, the Governor’s office and key state agencies, we can continue the momentum we have gained on this issue and begin to implement projects to improve the harmful environmental conditions of the river that impact the citizens of Imperial County,” he concluded.
The community meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, at the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center, 421 Heffernan St. Calexico, CA 92231, from 4:30 – 6:15 p.m.
This year, the Governor signed SB 859 which specifically allocates $1.4 million from the Waste Discharge Permit Fund, administered by the State Water Resources Control Board, for the New River. In 2015, the Governor also signed AB 965 by Assemblymember Garcia, which gives the Border Relations Council authority to convene stakeholders on issues dealing with the New River. The legislation also created the New River Water Quality, Public Health, and River Parkway Development Program under the Council to coordinate funding for, and implementation of, the projects identified in the New River Strategic Plan. This upcoming public meeting will help inform the public on current state plans to being remediating issues pose by the river.
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) serves as the as the Chairperson of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy and represents the 56th District, which comprises the cities and communities of Blythe, Brawley, Bermuda Dunes, Calexico, Calipatria, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial, Indio, Mecca, Oasis, North Shore, Salton Sea, Thermal, Thousand Palms, and Westmorland.
