San Diego County taps former diplomat as pollution crisis chief amid Tijuana River sewage crisis

San Diego County on Monday will introduce a former U.S. diplomat as its first Pollution Crisis Chief, tapping Bridget Premont to lead its response to the Tijuana River sewage and pollution crisis as a new study estimates the crisis could cost the region $7.9 billion over the next two decades if it is not fixed.

Premont will be introduced at a 1 p.m. news conference at the San Diego County Administration Center, according to the county.

From 2017 to 2021, Premont was political and economic chief at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, where she also served as acting consul general, according to the county. Her efforts there helped secure more than $340 million in U.S. and Mexican federal funding to fight cross-border water pollution, the county said.

The board created the executive-level post Jan. 28 as part of an $8.75 million funding package. The role was established to give the county a single point of accountability for public health monitoring, infrastructure mitigation, emergency response, environmental protection and intergovernmental advocacy.

According to the county, Premont will coordinate with federal, state and local agencies to prioritize planning for local and cross-border infrastructure upgrades. She will also pursue federal and state funding, coordinate real-time emergency response when sewage discharges spike and chair a Sewage Crisis Interdepartmental Task Force.