News

• Project also providing first-time access to sewer service for 19 households
• Project constructed with US$3.75 million grant from EPA

Tornillo, Texas – Alex Hinojosa, Deputy Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADB), presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of the Arsenic Treatment and Wastewater Collection project that is improving the quality of drinking water distributed to the residents of the community of Tornillo in El Paso County, Texas.

The arsenic treatment facility (ATF) has the capacity to treat 600 gallons per minute (gpm) to reduce naturally-occurring arsenic concentrations to permitted levels, as well as remove iron and manganese ions, which can give water an unpleasant taste, odor and color. The project was certified in 2014 by the Board of Directors of NADB and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and received a US$3.75 million grant provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) administered by NADB and BECC.

The alignment of the ATF wasteline also provided an opportunity to incorporate new wastewater connections, giving first-time access to sewer service to 19 households currently using substandard on-site wastewater disposal systems. The decommissioning of on-site systems will eliminate approximately 5,600 gallons per day of inadequately treated and untreated wastewater.

“We congratulate El Paso County Tornillo Water Improvement District for the completion of this vital project to improve water quality and offer first-time wastewater service to neighboring households,” stated Mr. Hinojosa. “The grant funds were instrumental in making this project a reality.”

El Paso County Tornillo Water Improvement District (EPCTWID) Board president, Jose Luis Soria, along with El Paso County Commissioner Vince Perez, and representatives from the offices of Senator John Cornyn, Congressman Will Hurd, Texas Senator Jose Rodriguez, and State representative Mary Gonzalez, were also present to witness the ceremony.

Will Hurd, U.S. Representative of the 23rd District of Texas sent his congratulations to the community. “I am thrilled to see the Arsenic Treatment and Wastewater Collection project completed, which will provide clean water for thousands of residents in the Tornillo community. This project is proof that we can accomplish great things when all levels of government work together for the benefit of the community,” stated the Congressman.

This project also received more than $100,000 in technical assistance from the EPA-funded Program Development Assistance Program (PDAP) to prepare environmental documents and perform a water audit of EPCTWID. Among the audit recommendations was the implementation of an automated meter reading system, a reuse program to replace potable water used at the wastewater treatment plant and better methods for quantifying the volumes used for fire suppression and other unmetered uses.