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Finding of No Significant Impact
Proposed Action
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 9 is proposing to authorize the use of North American Development Bank funds to construct a wastewater conveyance system parallel to the existing system in Tijuana, Mexico, and expand the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant. The parallel conveyance system would provide "redundancy" to the existing conveyance system, which would allow for proper operation and maintenance, and minimize the likelihood of raw sewage spills into the U.S. In addition, expansion of the wastewater treatment plant would reduce the quantity of raw sewage discharged at Punta Bandera (Baja California), Mexico, which can travel north into U.S. waters and degrade the public health and beaches in the area. Because a possible interim use of the conveyance system is the transport of advanced primary effluent from the International Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) in San Diego, California for discharge at Punta Bandera, the proposed project includes a connection from the IWTP to the conveyance system in Tijuana.
Anticipated Impacts
The attached environmental assessment (EA), prepared by the EPA, discloses the transboundary impacts from the proposed project on U.S. public health, biological resources, socioeconomics, air quality and odor, and geology and soils. The project would result in no significant, permanent or unmitigated negative impacts. On the other hand, there would be positive impacts to public health, odor levels, socioeconomics, biological resources, and estuarine and ocean environments of the San Diego area as a result of improved water quality from the reduction in raw sewage spills into the Tijuana River Valley.
The State Public Service Commission of Tijuana, Mexico (CESPT) submitted to the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) an environmental assessment that disclosed the impacts from this project in Mexico. The EPA and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement in February 1994 that disclosed information regarding the IWTP site, including the area disturbed for the connection to the Tijuana conveyance system, as well as a Supplemental Environmental Impact Assessment for the Interim Operation of the IWTP in September 1996 that disclosed impacts from the construction and possible interim use of the parallel conveyance system.
Conclusion
A draft finding of no significant impact (FNSI) and draft EA were prepared for the project by the EPA. The public and interested agencies were encouraged to submit comments on the draft FNSI and draft EA during the 30-day public comment period that ended October 27, 1997. This document constitutes the final FNSI. The attached document, together with the draft EA, constitutes the final EA. Because the project is in Mexico, the draft FNSI and EA were published in both English and Spanish as a courtesy to interested parties in Mexico. The final FNSI and EA, however, are only being published in English because all comments were received in English, and because only minor revisions were made to the EA as a result of comments received.
After considering the environmental issues involved, the EPA has determined that the proposed project will not have a significant impact on the environment and that an environmental impact statement will, therefore, not be prepared. For additional information about the project, please contact Niko Letunic of EPA Region 9 at (415) 744-2017 or via e-mail at Letunic.Niko@epamail.epa.gov.
Felicia Marcus
Regional Administrator
February 9, 1998