Vado, NM, Nov. 17, 2003 -- Doña Ana County has marked the completion of two wastewater treatment facilities which will provide first time wastewater treatment and collection services to residents of eight communities.
The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners and North American Development Bank (NADB) officials were joined by representatives from the offices of U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici, U.S. Representative Steve Pearce and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson at a grand opening celebration for the South Central and Salem wastewater treatment facilities.
The works inaugurated are major components of two wastewater projects that also include the installation of sewer systems and residential hookups in each community which are in various stages of design and construction. These two projects, which together cost a total of US$31.77 million, will improve the quality of life of nearly 10,000 residents in Doña Ana County. The NADB is contributing a total of US$13.05 million in grant funds
through its EPA-funded Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) for construction and transition assistance for the two projects.
"We are pleased to be in Doña Ana County again, this time to witness the grand opening of two wastewater treatment facilities," commented José Ruiz, NADB Project Development Officer. "As one of the funding partners in these projects, we are proud of the progress being made in benefit of Doña Ana County residents."
The South Central plant will provide services to six communities including Vado, Del Cerro, La Mesa, San Miguel, Berino and Chamberino, and the Salem plant will provide services to the communities of Salem and Ogaz. The projects also include 2,478 residential hookups to the systems.
"This is a momentous and proud occasion for Doña Ana County. The South Central plant is the culmination of five years of work and partnership at the national, state and local levels," commented Paul B. Curry, Chairman of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners. "Its completion spells the end of a reliance on septic systems that pollute our groundwater and compromise public health."
Through its BEIF program, the NADB has approved more than US$481.6 million in EPA-funded grants to support the construction of environmental infrastructure in various communities, which will benefit residents on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Since its inception in 1995, the NADB has approved more than US$629 million in loans and grants for 69 infrastructure projects in the region.
For more information on the NADB, visit www.nadb.org.
The North American Development Bank, created under the auspices of NAFTA, 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 integrated, sustainable and fiscally responsible projects with broad community support in a framework of close cooperation and coordination between Mexico and the United States.
