San Antonio, Texas. – The North American Development Bank (NADB) announced the conclusion of the first phase of a study for the rehabilitation of the wastewater collection system in the Arroyo del Coyote basin and the initiation of the second phase, which covers the entire wastewater system in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. The study is being funded by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Project Development Assistance Program (PDAP) and administered by NADB. The program provided US$120,000 for Phase I and is providing an additional US$95,000 for Phase II.
Luis Pinto Covarrubias, Managing Director of the Tamaulipas State Water Commission (CEAT); Héctor Juventino García Flores, Managing Director of the local water utility, Comisión Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Nuevo Laredo (COMAPA-Nuevo Laredo); and Carla Hernández and Gabriel Riestra from the Mexican National Water Commission (CONAGUA) attended the meeting. NADB was represented by Temis Alvarez, Associate Director of Grant Programs, and Carlos Acevedo, Senior Project Manager.
The objective of these studies is to reduce the amount of untreated wastewater flowing from the city’s sewer system and the Arroyo del Coyote basin into the Rio Grande. The study is also assessing the areas of Nuevo Laredo where the wastewater collection system needs to be rehabilitated, as well as unserved areas, which will help improve the overall system.
The cost of implementing Phase I of the Arroyo del Coyote wastewater collection system project is estimated at US$5.5 million. Phase II of the study will identify necessary improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment system and will determine the estimated cost for this portion of the project.
Implementation of the comprehensive wastewater collection and treatment project could be partially financed by the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), which is also funded by EPA and managed by NADB, as well as by CONAGUA, the Government of Tamaulipas through CEAT and COMAPA-Nuevo Laredo. The project will be considered for approval this year, with construction potentially starting in 2021.
This project will benefit the Rio Grande River, as well as the health of area border residents.
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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.