During its fourteenth Public Meeting held in Cd. Juárez on December 5, 1997, the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) Board of Directors certified two significant environmental infrastructure projects worth an estimated U.S. $87 million.

The two projects are:

• Integral Sanitation Project for the City of Mexicali. The project consists of rehabilitation and expansion of a wastewater treatment plant, increasing capacity from 22.4 MGD to 29.7 MGD; construction of a wastewater treatment plant with 20 MGD capacity; construction of approximately 30 kilometers of primary sewage collection and secondary collection lines; replacement of approximately 4.3 miles of collectors; rehabilitation and expansion of the sewage system; rehabilitation of pumping stations; and installment of telemetry equipment. The project cost is an estimated U.S. $50 million and will benefit 600,000 residents.
• Jonathan Rogers Water Treatment Expansion Project in El Paso. The project will expand the existing water treatment plant from 40 MGD to 60 MGD with a projected cost of U.S. $37.8 million. The project will increase available water supply for El Paso residents, as well as for residents in the colonias surrounding El Paso County. By 2010, the project will benefit 796,643 residents, 11.6 percent (92,765) of which will be residing outside city limits. The project will address critical public health issues caused in large part to the inadequate and unsafe water supply.

Certification of these two projects brings the total number of projects certified by the BECC to 19, with ten projects located on the Mexican side of the border and nine on the U.S. side. The estimated value of certified projects is U.S. $340 million, benefiting approximately 6.4 million border residents.

The General Director of Pubic Works and Urban Development of Cd. Juárez, Gilberto Contreras, attended the public meeting on behalf of the Cd. Juárez Mayor. In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Contreras highlighted BECC efforts to improve public health and the environment. In addition, he expressed his appreciation to the Board o Directors for certifying the wastewater treatment plant project for Cd. Juárez in last September. In his opinion, the project will make "significant progress for the City".

Present at the meeting were several special guests, including the Mayor of Mexicali, Mr. Eugenio Elorduy; the Secretary of Asentamientos Humanos y Obras Publicas from the State of Baja California, Mr. Fernando Aceves Salmón; and the Secretary of Urban Infrastructure and Ecology from the State of Sonora, Mr. Manuel Octavio Ibarra. Both Secretaries attended as representatives of their states. Also in attendance was Mr. Victor Miramontes, Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADB).

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Ygnacio Garza apologized on behalf of the BECC for not posting the agenda to the public meeting on the Internet/BECCNET, 30 days prior to the meeting. As such, the Board of Directors certified the two projects under the condition that an additional 30-day period for public review and comment be granted. The Board will conduct a public meeting in January when additional comments on the projects will be considered.

BECC General Manager, Javier Cabrera, commented on the organization's new long-term vision to face the challenges of the coming century. In this regard, The Board of Directors approved BECC new structure, which includes stronger community participation and outreach sections, a more extensive financial section for the technical assistance program, and a geographic division by zones for project management by the technical section.

Of the 19 certified projects, ten have entered the construction phase, including the completion of a wastewater treatment plant at the FINSA Industrial Park in Matamoros. Several other projects at different locations throughout the border are in various phases of construction.

With regard to the technical assistance program, nine technical assistance contracts will be awarded in December for projects in different border communities. These include master plans for water and landfill projects.

At the end of the meeting, Victor Miramontes announced that the NADB will continue to work with the BECC in the development of projects specifically on the Jonathan Rogers water treatment project. Mr. Miramontes was pleased to announce that the project complies with the Bank's criteria with respect to payment capacity. On the Mexicali project, he stated that the NADB will continue efforts to increase the project's financial feasibility.

Twelve City Mayors from Sonora's border region and four Representatives attended a recent meeting in Nogales: Development of Environmental Infrastructure for the Sonora Border. The meeting was sponsored by the BECC to review and schedule activities with newly elected state and border community officials, concerning the development of environmental infrastructure projects. Officials from border communities received information regarding available assistance for water, sewage, sanitation, and municipal solid waste projects under the 1998 budget. The information and assistance is provided by the state of Sonora, Mexico’s National Water Commission (CNA), the Secretary of Social Development, the International Boundary and Water Commission, as well as BANOBRAS, the NADB, and the BECC.

Also in attendance at the meeting were the Governor of Sonora, Mr. Armando Lopez Nogales; the Secretary of Urban Infrastructure and Ecology from the State of Sonora, Manuel Octavio Ibarra Legareta; Commissioner Arturo Herrera Solis of the International Boundary and Water Commission; Director of the Solid Waste section of SEDESOL, Gustavo Rosiles; the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director of the NADB, Victor Miramontes and Raúl Rodríguez Barocio; as well as the General Manager of the BECC, Javier Cabrera Bravo.

The Mayor of Nogales, Wenceslao Cota Montoya provided welcoming comments and noted the interest of the governments of Sonora border communities in ensuring that "the aim by the Federal Government to decentralize should encourage a renewed and cooperative Federalism... ". The Mayor further noted that projects with the potential to receive BECC/NADB support should be based on long-term planning and have community support.

Some of the more noteworthy proposals presented by the meeting participants include:

• Comprehensive sanitation project for the Magdalena River, and communities located along the river that share inadequate sewage and wastewater treatment systems
• Potable water and sanitation projects for Nogales
• Continuance of the landfill project for Agua Prieta and start of the landfill project for Puerto Peñasco
• Update of the facilities plan for municipal solid waste management project for San Luís Río Colorado
• Rehabilitation of the sewage and drainage system for Arizpe
• Consideration of the comprehensive sanitation project for San Luis Río Colorado, known as EcoBosque
• Rehabilitation of the municipal lift station for Puerto Peñasco
• Immediate attention to contamination of the potable water sources in Nacozari and improvement of the wastewater treatment system
• Rehabilitation and expansion of the Santa Cruz sewage system

The institutions represented at the meeting announced several actions and commitments regarding the proposals:

• CILA/IBWC will address the sewage and potable water needs required immediately by the City of Nogales (project has an estimated cost of U.S. $3.8 million).
• CILA/IBWC will evaluate six technical options to resolve problems related to the binational wastewater treatment plant for Nogales, Arizona, under the facilities plan for both Nogales.
• CILA/IBWC will carry out actions to disinfect and measure the Nogales arroyo.
• In 1998, SEDESOL will invest $168 million pesos (about U.S. $20 million) in the Mexican border to support municipal solid waste management and disposal projects in Mexicali, Puerto Peñasco, San Luis Río Colorado, Matamoros, Agua Prieta, and Valle Hermoso.
• CNA will prepare a comprehensive study for storm water management in Nogales. CNA, through APAZU, will work on water projects and conduct a detailed review of the contamination to the water sources in Nacozari.
• NADB reported that its Institutional Development Cooperation Progam has granted U.S. $405,000 in assistance to Naco, Nogales, Puerto Peñasco, and Agua Prieta. In addition, the NADB Border Environmental Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has contributed U.S. $170 million.
• BANOBRAS reported on the credit lines available for infrastructure projects and potable water, sewage and sanitation equipment, Information regarding the FINFRA program, Infrastructure Investment Fund, was also presented.
• BECC presented information on technical assistance, the certification process, and the public and community participation process. The BECC has played an active role in the state of Sonora, with certification of four projects worth an estimated U.S. $43.6 million, benefiting over 288,000 residents in border communities. These include landfill projects in Puerto Peñasco and Agua Prieta, potable water, sewage and sanitation projects in Naco, and a potable water project for Nogales.

The closing ceremony included a presentation by the Governor of Sonora, He stated that efforts carried out by the BECC in the state are an example of the organization's commitment to fulfill its objectives as well as the mission of the Parallel Agreements under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The BECC Technical Assistance Program is underway and progressing rapidly. Since July 1997, the BECC has approved technical assistance grants for 19 projects in the border states of Arizona, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, and Texas as shown in Tables 1 and 2. Grants for technical assistance for these projects total over U.S. $1 million. Four communities are receiving assistance for development of the Step II application for BECC certification, two for Concept Development of the project, seven for Water Master Plans, five for Solid Waste Master Plans, and one for assistance in public participation required for BECC certification.

Technical assistance for four of these projects has been completed including the development of the Step II applications for the City of Donna and the El Paso Lower Valley Water District in Texas, a Water Master Plan for Palomas, Chihuahua, and the public participation program for the comprehensive sanitation project of Reynosa. Technical assistance for the remaining projects is currently in-progress. In November, the BECC began the consultant solicitation process from the BECC Pre-Qualified List of Consultants for eight projects requiring Master Plans in the areas of water and solid waste.

The BECC Technical Assistance Program assists communities in planning and designing water supply, wastewater treatment, solid waste and other improvement projects along the U.S.-Mexico border. Funding for the water-related projects comes from a $10 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Solid waste and related projects are managed under a separate portion of the program, receiving assistance through the BECC budget or other funding sources.

For more information on the Program and applying for BECC technical assistance, please contact Hector Gonzalez, Technical Manager, at (011-52-16) 29-23-95, or by e-mail at hgonzalez@cocef.interjuarez.com.

During his recent visit to Cd. Juárez on November 13, the General Director of BANOBRAS, Jaime Corredor announced FINFRA (Infrastructure Investment Fund) will be providing $72 million pesos (about U.S. $8.7 million) for the City's treatment plants project. Funding will cover 40 percent of the project total cost, estimated at $180 million pesos (about U.S. $22 million). The funds are considered as subordinated capital, meaning they may not be recovered during the useful life of the project. FINFRA funds will greatly increase the project's financial feasibility. In addition, the NADB’s BEIF program is likely to cover 20 percent of the project cost. Degremont will cover 15 percent via a loan, and an additional 25 percent in capital. The project's financial aspects were presented at a meeting sponsored by the Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento (JMAS). Some of the guests included the Governor of Chihuahua, Francisco Barrio Terrazas; the Mayor of Cd. Juárez, Enrique Flores; President of the Citizen’s Committee for the Cd. Juárez Project, Angel Beltrán; and the BECC's General Manager, Javier Cabrera. JMAS Chairman, José Mateos thanked CNA, BANOBRAS, IBWC, NADB, and the BECC for their support and reported that construction of the plants would begin in a matter of weeks. The Chihuahua State Congress is expected to endorse a BANOBRAS loan to JMAS to guarantee monthly amortization payments and plant operations. It would be applied through the twentieth month after project construction begins and effective during the 12-year concession for the plant's operation.

The Del Rio, Texas project will address the community's water supply. The project consists of a new water treatment plant, replacement of the collection and pumping systems of raw water being conveyed from branches of the San Felipe Arroyo, replacements of potable water surface storage tanks, new lift station, and conveyance lines. The total cost of the project is U.S. $30.1 million. Construction is expected to take place between March 1998 and October 1999.

According to status reports submitted to the BECC by the project applicants, particularly with regard to the Environmental & Public Health, Sustainable Development, and Financial Feasibility aspects, the project may be able to meet BECC certification criteria in a short period of time. Del Rio has submitted Step II in draft form and the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is being updated and may be in final form during the first week of January 1998. The applicant has scheduled public meetings for the project in January 1998.

The Donna, Texas project consists of the construction of a new water treatment plant with a capacity to treat 4.5 MGD, construction of an elevated tank with a 200,000 gallon capacity, expansion of a water distribution system to provide services to the colonias surrounding the city, and replacement of sections of defective water distribution pipes. The project also includes expansion of the wastewater treatment plant from 2.3 to 2.7 MGD, rehabilitation of some of the units, extension of the current sewage system to provide services to colonias surrounding the city, and upgrades to the existing plant, such as a re-pumping lift station for the influent and improved sludge management system.

The total cost of the projects is U.S. $23.8 million. The project's main component is the new treatment plant, estimated at U.S. $7 million.

The project is required to address several violations incurred by the City in the provision of water services. An agreement with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) provides that the City shall construct a new water treatment system.

The project applicant has submitted the Step II format to the BECC, which appears to comply with all certification requirements. The BECC staff is currently in the final review process.

In November 1996, the Board unanimously adopted the revised Project Certification Criteria document. This document includes a section on the voluntary High Sustainability Recognition Program for those projects that go beyond BECC’s Sustainable Development criteria. A high sustainable development work group was established under the Program and includes April Lander, Oscar Romo, and Lynda Taylor serving as co-chairs representing the staff, Advisory Council, and Board respectively. A "start up" meeting was held August 10 and a second meeting, where coordination with Border XXI was discussed with Jose Luis Samaniego, SEMARNAP and Lorena Lopez, USEPA was held on September 30 of this year.

The goal of the work group is to promote sustainable development along the border by encouraging and assisting project sponsors and communities (including those for projects already certified) who desire to obtain High Sustainability Recognition from BECC.

1. Self-education of sustainable development at a local, regional and global level, taking into account different cultural and social perspectives, using BECC High Sustainability Recognition elements as a starting point.
2. Identify experts in sustainable development fields, including planning, design, construction, and operation, to provide advice and assistance to project sponsors and communities.
3. Establish links with existing programs where sustainable development is a goal (Border XXI, SEMARNAP, EPA, U.S. President’s Council on Sustainable Development, National Council for Sustainable Development in Mexico, Commission on Environmental Cooperation, UN Sustainable Development Council, etc.).
4. Identify and obtain financial resources (potential sources include: CEC, EPA, development banks, foundations, academic institutions, NGOs, and other organizations) to assist communities in achieving high sustainable development in projects and for possible grant awards if the project receives BECC High Sustainability Recognition.
5. Identify and meet with project sponsors and communities interested in applying for BECC High Sustainability Recognition.
6. Provide guidance, hold workshops, and bring experts/resources to project sponsors and communities.
7. Prepare specific voluntary guidelines for high sustainable development in implementing BECC-related projects in the border region.
8. Serve as a clearinghouse on sustainable development information relating to environmental infrastructure projects.

Due to limited resources, no BECC operating budget funds will be used to implement the Program. Meetings will be held in conjunction with Board, Advisory Council, and staff meetings, and by phone or Email. The first step is to inform the public of the start-up and draft framework for the Program and request comments. All proposed actions will be discussed among staff, Advisory Council, and Board members for approval prior to development of a draft Work Plan. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the draft Plan.

• Public comment on draft framework for Program Work Plan: Dec.5, 1997-Jan. 30, 1998
• Develop draft Program Work Plan with time schedule and Feb.-Mar. 1998

• Finalize Program Work Plan: April 1998

Ideas, comments, or suggestions for the Work Plan including implementation, contacts or suggestions for potential funding sources, Sustainable Development experts, or projects coming to (or in) the BECC process should be submitted by January 30, 1998 to:

April Lander

Environment and Sustainable Development Program Manager

Border Environment Cooperation Commission

P.O. Box 221648

El Paso, TX 79913

Tel. 011-52 (16) 29-23-95

Fax 011-52 (16) 29-23-97

E-mail alander@cocef.interjuarez.com

In accordance with Article I of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission’s (BECC) Procedures Regarding Public Notice and Comment on Project Applications, the BECC has received a Step I Form for the following projects during the month of November. Please note that this listing does not represent any type of BECC staff recommendation concerning the potential for project certification.

• Sanitation and Water Supply Project for Cd. Acuña. The project involves the construction and equipment for the "La Amistad" No. 2 water treatment plant and primary distribution lines, storage tank, and primary supply lines. The estimated cost is U.S. $160,000. Contact: Javier Dávila Arizpe, Director General de la Comisión Estatal de Aguas y Saneamiento del Gobierno del Estado de Coahuila, De la Fuente No. 433-A, Saltillo, Coahuila, C.P. 25000, Tel: (84) 12-70-69, Fax: 14-05-68.
• Project for Comprehensive Municipal Solid Waste Management for the Region known as Cinco Manantiales. This project will serve the communities of Allende, Morelos, Nava, Unión, and Zaragoza in the State of Coahuila. The estimated cost is U.S. $2 million. Contact: Dr. Rodolfo Garza Gutiérrez, Director de Ecología del Gobierno del Estado de Coahuila, Victoria No. 406, Piso 1, Saltillo, Coahuila, C.P. 25000. Tel (84) 14 92 13, Fax 12 56 78.
• Comprehensive Municipal Solid Waste Project for the region known as Carbonifera. The project will serve the communities of Muzquiz, Sabinas, and San Juan Sabinas in the State of Coahuila. The estimated cost is U.S. $2 million. Contact: Dr. Rodolfo Garza Gutiérrez, Director de Ecología del Gobierno del Estado de Coahuila, Victoria No. 406, Piso 1, Saltillo, Coahuila, C.P. 25000. Tel: (84) 14-92-13, Fax: 12-56-78.
• Storage Tank and Feed Line from Treatment Plant No. Two. The project consists of the purchase of material, labor, machinery, and equipment for the construction of an elevated tank, known as "Tecnologico" that will have a 4,000 cubic meter capacity. Also included in the project is the construction of a feed line to the tank from Treatment Plant No. Two. The estimated cost is U.S. $1.2 million. Contact: C.P. Javier Dávila Arizpe, Director General de la Comisión Estatal de Aguas y Saneamiento del Gobierno del Estado de Coahuila, De la Fuente No. 433-A, Saltillo, Coahuila, C.P. 25000, Tel: (84) 12-70-69, Fax: 14-05-68.