News

Groundbreaking ceremony for a wastewater collection and treatment
project in Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas

San Antonio, Texas – Today, via a virtual ceremony, a wastewater collection and treatment project broke ground in the city of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas. Participating in the ceremony were José Manuel López Hernández, Mayor of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz; Luis Pinto, Managing Director of the Tamaulipas State Water Commission (CEAT); Ken McQueen, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Administrator; and Calixto Mateos, Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADB).

Gustavo Díaz Ordaz is located on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, between the cities of Camargo and Reynosa and just a few miles south of Sullivan City in Texas. The project, certified by the NADB Board in May 2019, consists of the expansion and rehabilitation of the municipal wastewater collection and treatment system, benefitting approximately 12,354 residents of this border community. The main components of the project include construction of a new wastewater treatment plant with the capacity to treat 0.59 million gallons a day (mgd) and expansion of the sewer system to provide first-time access to wastewater services to 2,644 homes in unserved areas of the city, among other improvements.

This project will provide adequate wastewater collection and treatment coverage for residents, as well as eliminate raw wastewater discharges and improve the quality of the water flowing into receiving water bodies, such as the Rio Grande. It is worth noting that most of the population currently does not have access to wastewater collection and treatment services and relies on latrines and septic tanks, which can pose a serious risk of environmental contamination and expose residents to gastrointestinal disease.

The total project cost is estimated at US$8.5 million and is partially financed by a US$4.5 million grant through NADB’s Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), which is funded by EPA. The remaining funds are from the Mexican national water commission, CONAGUA, as well as from state and local sources.

During his participation in the virtual ceremony, Calixto Mateos stated that this project “reflects the spirit of bilateral cooperation to address infrastructure needs in vulnerable communities and improve the health and environmental conditions for people living in the region.”

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NADB is a financial institution established and capitalized in equal parts by the United States and Mexico for the purpose of financing environmental infrastructure projects along their common border. As a pioneer institution in its field, the Bank is working to develop environmentally and financially sustainable projects with broad community support in a framework of close cooperation and coordination between Mexico and the United States.