1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Tijuana River Valley Comprehensive Protection and Rehabilitation Act of 2017 . 2. Findings; sense of Congress (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) the Tijuana River Valley is a broad natural floodplain containing a variety of wetland and riparian areas; (2) the Tijuana River Valley is a small portion of the Tijuana River's 1,700 square miles of watershed; (3) the Tijuana River's watershed area includes portions of south San Diego County and northern Baja California, Mexico; (4) the Tijuana River Valley Planning Area is bounded by the city of Imperial Beach and the Otay Mesa-Nestor community to the north, the San Ysidro community to the east, Mexico to the south, and Border Field State Park and Imperial Beach to the west; (5) near the coast is the most extensive salt marsh in southern California, which is preserved within the Tijuana River National Estuarine Sanctuary; (6) further inland, the Tijuana River is vegetated with riparian habitat; (7) the Tijuana River Valley is bounded on the south by high mesas and deep canyons covered by chaparral, sage scrub, and grasslands; (8) the floodplain of the Tijuana River Valley currently contains a mixture of agricultural fields, equestrian facilities, rural housing, riparian woodland, and disturbed habitats; (9) periodic rains in the region have produced flooding and cross-border flows of wastewater and sewage, causing public health concerns as well as disruptions to the local tourist economy and military readiness