Del Rio, Texas, Sept. 9, 2002 -- Water quality for Del Rio citizens greatly improved recently as the city officially opened a potable water treatment plant, the final component of a $44.6 million water improvements project, partly funded by the North American Development Bank (NADB).
City and county leaders were joined by officials of the NADB, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), State Representative Pete P. Gallego and community leaders at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the water treatment plant.
"The City of Del Rio has been working towards this goal for many years and the citizens have been very supportive of the steps we've taken to establish this state-of-the-art water treatment plant," said Del Rio Mayor Dora G. Alcala. "Recently, our city is making history and it's very exciting."
The new potable water treatment plant, with its ultra-membrane filtration system, has the capacity to treat 16 million gallons of water per day. The plant significantly enhances Del Rio's water supply, providing citizens with clearer, cleaner and healthier water. In addition to constructing the new plant, the city replaced raw water pumping facilities and water ground storage tanks, expanded distribution system pumps and transfer facilities, and rehabilitated water wells. These improvements prevent leaking and provide additional water supply to the city.
NADB contributed grant assistance totaling $15.18 million, made available through the Bank's EPA-funded Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF). Other funding sources for the project include certificates of obligation issued by the city, and two loans from the TWDB.
"We are very pleased to join in celebrating recently a culmination of the City of Del Rio's hard work and dedication in providing its citizens with a quality water supply," said Jorge C. Garces, Deputy Managing Director of the NADB. "Financing projects like this one is fundamental to the North American Development Bank's effort to promote a clean, healthy environment for the border region."
