Border Environmental Cooperation Commission
Municipal
Solid Waste Comprehensive Management Project in China and General Bravo, NL
1.
Type of Project. The
project contemplates the construction of a regional landfill that would allow
for the adequate municipal solid waste management for the municipalities of
China and General Bravo in the state of Nuevo Leon.
2.
Location of the Project. The communities of China and Bravo are located on the
extreme northwest of the country, within the state of Nuevo Leon. The project is within the 100 km border
zone. The municipality of China is
located at 119 Km to the northeast of the city of Monterrey, state capital. The population in the municipality is 11,500
for the year 2000. The population
estimated for the end of this project is 15,600. On the other hand the municipality of General Bravo is 120 Km to
the northeast of Monterrey and 98 Km to the southwest of Reynosa, Tamps., it
borders with the municipality of China.
It has a population of 5,800 inhabitants for the year 2000. It is estimated that by the end of the
project the population will be 6,700 inhabitants. The project expects to benefit a total of 17,300 current
population and 22,300 inhabitants for the year 2013.
3.
Description of Project and Tasks. The
project comprehensively covers all the necessary aspects to provide the
infrastructure and equipment required for the adequate management of solid waste
from both municipalities, therefore increasing the efficiency of the processes
and strengthening them to guarantee that it is permanent. It includes the construction of the regional
landfill located in land belonging to the municipality of China, N.L. It is also proposes the creation of a
decentralized organizational restructuring from the sanitation department in
each municipality.
4.
Compliance with International Treaties and
Agreements. The project is within the Agreements, that
the United States and Mexico have signed, such as the La Paz Agreement, Border
Environmental Comprehensive Plan, Border XXI Program and the Free Trade
Agreement.
1.
Human Health and Environmental Needs. The generation per
capita of municipal solid waste in the municipalities of China and General
Bravo, have shown a substantial increase in recent years, which worsens the existing problem derived from the
collection and inadequate disposal of solid waste. This has caused the proliferations of three open-air dumps in
these municipalities, which has propitiated the deterioration of the natural
environment of the sites and are a strong potential source of soil and bodies
of groundwater contamination. Additionally,
the growth of harmful fauna in the dumps, allows for the increase of harmful
vectors and the consequent effects on the health of the
population. For this reason, the main
objective of this project is to develop the infrastructure that would allow the
adequate management and final disposal of municipal solid waste. The construction of a regional landfill and
the closing of the current final disposal sites, will contribute to the
solution of environmental and health contamination problems that affect these
municipalities.
2. Environmental
Assessment. A General Environmental Impact Study was
prepared, which concludes that the project will not cause any significant
impacts on the environment. Currently,
the EIS is being reviewed by the General Office of State Ecology for the State
of Nuevo Leon, and it is estimated that the EIS judgment will be issued during
the first two weeks of April.
3. Compliance
with Environmental and Cultural Resources Laws and Regulations. The
selected site and the design for the construction of the landfill, meet the
conditions required by sites intended for the final disposal of municipal solid
waste, according to Mexican Official Standard NOM-083-ECOL-1996. Likewise, the National Anthropology and
History Institute has informed that the implementation of the project will not
impact archeological nor historic resources, according to document D-033/01,
dated April 3 of this year.
1. Adequate Technology. The comprehensive
management of solid waste project contemplates the following actions:
Sweeping: Improvements will be made on the
quality, coverage and efficiency of manual sweeping services, there will be new
routes, the schedules and frequency will be extended, personnel will be trained
and new equipment will be purchased.
Collection: The coverage and efficiency will improve, by
establishing collection macro-routes in order to balance work and waste loads
collected by route. The collection
frequency and schedules will increase.
Personnel will be trained and they will be provided the adequate
equipment.
Final Disposal: A landfill will be constructed for final
disposal. This method uses the
engineering principles of confining waste in an area as small as possible,
covering it daily with layers of dirt and compacting it in order to reduce its
volume. Also, it foresees the problems
that liquids and gases produced in the landfill could cause, due to the
decomposition of organic matter. The
method of operation proposed will be combined; consisting of previously digging
two ditches 1.55 m in depth for the first two stages and a third ditch that
corresponds to the third stage in the future.
The landfill will have a useful life of almost 13 years for the first
two stages and 12 years for the third one in the future.
Closing of current dumps: A
proposal has been made to close down current dumps in both municipalities. Once the land has been leveled, the waste
will be covered with a 0.20 m width layer, requiring almost 3000 m3 of covering
material. These layers will be
compacted 70%. Later a perimetrical
drain will be constructed to channel storm water. Also, 6 capturing and bioventing wells will be built for the
China landfill and 2 wells for the one in General Bravo. Finally, the area will be fenced in with a 2
m high cyclone fence.
Institutional Strengthening: The project proposes institutional
strengthening actions, sponsored by the regulatory frame, the design and
implementation of an inter-municipal utility for the exclusive operation of the
landfill.
2.
Operation and Maintenance Plan. An
organizational manual will be developed for the operation of the landfill,
which will include structure and units that incorporate the stated
inter-municipal utility, responsibilities, attributions, obligations and
functions.
3.
Compliance with Applicable
Design Norms and Regulations. The design meets
the norms established by the Government of the State of Nuevo Leon, required by
the Environmental Impact Study, it meets the federal norms issued by
SEDESOL.
1. Financial
Feasibility.
The financial feasibility analysis was concluded to determine the
financial structure of the project, being structured as follows:
|
Sweeping |
$ 5,400 USD |
|
Collection |
$ 431,500 USD |
|
Management |
$ 4,750 USD |
|
Final Disposal |
$ 495,897 USD |
|
Closures |
$ 26,000 USD |
|
Creation of Utility |
$ 150,000 USD |
|
Studies |
$ 50,000 USD |
|
TOTAL |
$ 1,163,547 USD |
FINANCIAL STRUCTURE
|
State and Municipalities |
$
267,277 USD |
22.97% |
|
SWEP
|
$
440,000 USD |
37.85% |
|
Studies (PRODIN) |
$
200,000 USD |
17.19% |
|
Crédit |
$
255,900 USD |
21.99% |
|
TOTAL
|
$
1,163,547 USD |
100.00% |
Rate Model: The municipalities of China and General Bravo, N.L., authorized a
rate to carry out the infrastructure works, operate and maintain them. The monthly rates for medium domestic are $4
USD and $ 2 USD for low domestic until 2009.
In 2010 the rates will be increased up to $ 4.2 USD for medium domestic
and $ 2.1 USD for low domestic. In 2013 the rates will be increased up to $ 4.5
USD for medium domestic and 2.2 for low domestic.
2.
Project Management. The management of the
landfill will be through the inter-municipal utility with legal status and
equity capital. The self-sufficiency
will be through rates collected for the service. On the other hand the municipalities are committed to cover the
resulting expenses.
Beginning of the Public
Process: it begins on September
11, 2000 in a meeting at the City County Building at General Bravo, with the
attendance of the 2 Mayors and the 2 Elected Mayors. At this meeting the BECC Public Process was explained, what it
was and how it could be carried out; those attending were:
Representing the City County of
General Bravo, NL: Mayor Prof. Luis Lauro Espino Rodríguez;
Director of Municipal PRONASOL, Lic. Jorge Gracia Martínez; Mayor Elect, Guadalupe Guajardo Pérez C and Mr. Miguel
Camacho Jiménez, Municipal Public Works Director.
Representing the City
County of China, NL: Mayor Noe Leal González; City County General Secretary, José Olvera Ríos and Mayor Elect, Oscar
Cantú Bazán.
Representing the State of
Nuevo Leon: Municipal Infrastructure Project
Coordinator, Ing. Sergio de la Fuente.
Citizens Committee: It is organized through Minutes dated October 2, 2000; this
committee due to the projects characteristics of providing service to 2
communities at the same time, was organized with a main characteristic of
having 2 Co-presidents; one for each community, this means, one for General
Bravo, NL and another for China, NL.
Likewise, it was established that its members, would be represented in
equal number, therefore the citizens committee includes:
General Bravo, NL City County:
Co-President: Lic. Jorge H. Gracia Martínez.
Board Members:
Miguel Camacho Jiménez, Alonso Cantú Garza, Adolfo de la Garza González,
Aarón cantú González, Adolfo Cantú, Rogelio Solís de Anda, Oscar González
Arizpe, and Lic. Juan de Dios Quintanilla.
China, NL City County:
Co-President: Mrs. Norma N. Tijerina
Board Members:
Cristán Rodríguez Cantú, Ramiro González Tijerina,
Saúl González Cantú, Dr. Ramiro Alfonso Sarmiento, Ing. Cesar A. Cárdenas V, Albar González Cantú,
Guadalupe Javier Salinas G, José Manuel Benavides G, Benito González Morua,
José Ursino Garibay Ortiz and Guadalupe Damián Tijerina Prado.
Community Participation Comprehensive Plan: it was received on September 12, 2000 and was authorized by
BECC on September 14 of the same year.
Public
Information: The project has been available
for public review at the City County China and General Bravo, NL offices at the
Departments of Public Works. More than
3 thousand flyers have been distributed with general information about the
project and to summon the first Public Meeting, distributed mainly through the
Garbage Collection Systems in both City Counties.
Public Meetings:
First Public Meeting: The
summons for this meeting, which was carried out on October 14, 2000 at the Community
Development Center (CEDECO) in the General Bravo, NL community, at 11:00 a.m.
met the criteria of being announced 30 days prior to the meeting, through
written media of regional circulation, with the presence of the Citizens
Committee, the Promoters and the attendance of approximately 50 persons from
both communities. The main objective of
this meeting was to make the technical characteristics of the project known by
the consultant and questions from the community were answered, with an enthusiastic
participation especially from the teachers from both communities.
The
Citizens Committee has been carrying out work meetings with different sectors
and organizations from both communities.
Second
Public Meeting: This meeting
will be held on April 30 in the China, NL community to submit the financial
information and make an evaluation of the projects support by both
communities.
1.
Definition and Principles: The proposed project complies with BECCs definition
of Sustainable Development. The municipal solid waste
comprehensive management project in China and General Bravo, NL is centered on
providing a better quality of life for human beings.
The
project contributes to the decrease of environmental degradation by
constructing a new regional landfill and closing down the three current ones
because they are unsafe and inefficient.
The
stakeholders in this project are the municipalities of China and General Bravo,
the Government of the State of Nuevo Leon and the citizens from both
municipalities who will benefit with
the environmental and ecological improvements.
2. Strengthening
of the Institutional and Human Capacity. One important aspect of this
project is that it will strengthen the institutional capacity of both
municipalities with the creation of an inter-municipal utility, with a new and
modern organization with adequate rates that guarantee self-sufficiency.
3.
Conformance with Applicable Local/Regional
Conservation and Development Plans. The project complies with all the applicable
provisions established in the National and State Development Plans. Specifically, the project responds to
actions recommended in the China and General Bravo Municipal Development Plans,
to solve problems derived from inadequate management and disposal of municipal
solid waste.
4. Natural
Resource Conservation. Resource conservation, will be accomplished in
this project at two different levels: an operations level and a community
level. Operationally the project
contemplates engineering solutions that eliminate soil and ground water
contamination and the development of a buffer vegetation zone, where only
indigenous species would be planted. To
favor the recovery of the currently affected area, the development of a green
area is being considered in the area where the current landfills and final use
is located, that will follow the same guidelines. At a community level we are trying for the Public Participation
Committee to promote waste reduction.
5.
Community Development. The purpose of this project
is to provide the population in the region a safe, efficient and reliable
public sanitation program. This will
increase the level of well being in the communities, eliminating risks of
diseases and outbreaks.
1.
Baseline
Conditions Report for the Environmental Infrastructure in China, NL.
2.
Baseline
Conditions Report for the Environmental Infrastructure in General Bravo, NL
3.
Step
II Document
4.
Environmental
Assessment
5.
Financial
Study
6.
Final
Design for the Regional Landfill
7.
Final
Design for the Closure of the Actual Dump Sites for China and General Bravo.
Permitts
8.
Approval
documents of Environmental Assesment by the Ecology Department of the State of
NL
9.
Approval
documents by sedesol for the final design of the Landfill for China and General
Bravo
10.
Approval
documents by Nacional Antropologic and History Institute
11.
Resolutions
of the City Councils approving the
Project
12.
Agreement between China and GB Municipalities for the
creation of the intermunicipal
operation system for the Landfill.