![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
March 5, 2007
Wastewater treatment plant initiates operation in Ojinaga, Chihuahua. Start-up of the wastewater treatment plant in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, which was certified by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and partially financed by the North American Development Bank (NADB), was celebrated today. The plant, which cost an estimated US$1.89 million to build, will benefit more than 24,000 residents over its useful life.
During the ceremony, Chihuahua Governor José Reyes Baeza, along with Ojinaga Mayor Jorge Jesús Montoya Luján, as well as BECC and NADB representatives, touted the importance of this plant for the sustainability of the Conchos River, which connects with the Rio Grande precisely at Ojinaga. Both rivers form part of the river basin shared by Mexico and the United States.
The project was certified by BECC in September 2002 with a financing package in which 40% of the funding came from the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), a grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and administered by NADB. The remaining funding consisted of grants from the Mexican government (9%) and the Chihuahua State Government (31%), as well as a loan from NADB (20%).
Governor Reyes noted that this plant represents “the joint efforts of NADB, BECC, the Mexican government and the Chihuahua state government to bring this great project to fruition through an investment of more than $40 million pesos. This plant will ensure the future of Ojinaga in strict compliance with environmental standards and with works that allow sustainable management of water resources.”
The plant has the capacity to treat 2.5 million gallons a day (mgd), and the treated effluent will be discharged into the Rio Grande, improving the quality of the water and thus the health and environment of people living in Ojinaga, as well as in neighboring U.S. communities. In addition to the new plant, the certified project also includes improvements to the sewer system, which entail replacing some collectors and installing new lines to connect 100% of the population to the system.
BECC has certified eight environmental infrastructure projects in the state of Chihuahua estimated to cost US$209.98 million and benefit 1.4 million residents. These projects include a water conservation project in Irrigation District 005 in Delicias, wastewater projects in Anapra, Juárez, Ojinaga and Puerto Palomas, and a solid waste project in Ojinaga. For its part, NADB is providing $92.3 million in grants and loans to finance seven of those certified projects.
To date, 115 environmental infrastructure projects have been certified by BECC on both sides of the border. These projects represent a total investment of US$2.6 billion and will benefit approximately 10 million people. NADB is providing a total of US$844.4 million in grants and loans to finance 98 of those projects.
Contact:
| Juan Antonio Flores North American Development Bank (210) 231-8000 jaflores@nadb.org |
Gonzalo Bravo Border Environment Cooperation Commission (656) 688-4600 gbravo@cocef.org |