First-time sewer services to be extended to colonias in Hidalgo County, Texas
- North Alamo Water Supply Corporation receives US$1.89 construction grant
San Antonio, Texas – The North American Development Bank (NADB) and the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation (NAWSC) have signed a US$1.89 million grant agreement to support the construction of a regional wastewater collection and treatment project that will provide service to more than 1,600 colonia residents in Hidalgo County, Texas.
The grant funds are being provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), which is administered by NADB.
Residents in the project area, located to the northwest of the city of Donna, currently use on-site sanitation systems, mainly septic tanks and drain-field systems. However, due to population density, small lot sizes, high water tables and poor storm water drainage, the majority of these systems are generally not in compliance with regulatory requirements. In 2012, NAWSC received funding from TWDB, through its Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP), for the planning, acquisition, design and construction of a sanitary collection system to address this situation.
The project, certified by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) in June, has a total cost of US$11.78 million and consists of installing a wastewater collection system that will provide first-time access to 400 homes in six colonias: Alberta Acres, El Charro # 2, Isaac’s Subdivision, L. J. #1, Muniz Subdivision, and Tower Road Estates, as well as the decommissioning of the on-site wastewater disposal systems.
The $US1.89 million BEIF grant will be applied toward the costs of the following components: construction of a lift station, about 13,180 feet of force main and 4,990 feet of gravity sewer lines, and the installation of up to 82 residential sewer connections and the decommissioning of the onsite sanitary systems.
“North Alamo is making a great effort to provide wastewater services to hundreds of colonia residents for the first time, which will significantly improve the quality of life in one of the neediest counties in Texas,” stated NADB Managing Director Gerónimo Gutiérrez. “This grant will complete the financing necessary to make this project a reality.”