The following press release was published by the US EPA on Oct. 27. It is reproduced in full below.
NOGALES, Ariz. (Oct. 27, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with the North American Development Bank (NADB), has selected four environmental and public health projects to be implemented on both sides of the border in the Arizona/Sonora border region through the new Border 2025 U.S.- Mexico Environmental Program. The agency will award $220,175 for the programs, and an additional $69,124 will be matched by the recipient organizations.
The projects meet the objectives of the Border 2025 U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program: to improve water quality; and improve joint preparedness for and responses to environmental emergencies.
“The new Border 2025 funding will improve public health and the environment for U.S. and Mexican communities within the Arizona-Sonora border region, while advancing the EPA priorities of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and environmental justice,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan.
“It is an honor for NADB to continue to work on Border 2025 in collaboration with EPA and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT),” stated Calixto Mateos, NADB Director General. “We are excited to see the continuation of this successful program as well as the emphasis being placed on climate change and environmental justice.”
Border 2025 Project Descriptions
Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Ecología (Urban Development and Ecology Secretariat of Sonora) will identify alternatives for water reuse to reduce heavy metals in the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rio Rico, Arizona. The grantee will develop a prototype for treating wastewater using green infrastructure for reuse purposes such as irrigation of green areas, construction and toilet flushing. It will also evaluate the quality of the plant discharges into the Santa Cruz River and inform a Water Reuse Master Plan for City of Nogales, Sonora.
Cocopah Indian Tribe will assess water quality of the City of Yuma treated wastewater that discharges into the Colorado River on Cocopah Tribal lands. The tribe will also develop a design for a wetland/riparian restoration project to reuse treated wastewater. This project will benefit the tribal community and will complement ongoing environmental efforts related to assessing climate change vulnerability and climate adaptation planning.
Borderlands Restoration Network seeks to improve best management practices for sediment control on both sides of the Arizona/Sonora border. The grantee will construct 50 erosion control structures to reduce sediment transport and reestablish native vegetation communities. The project will also include a binational watershed restoration workshop for regional practitioners and workshops for the general public.
Arizona State University will work with emergency preparedness and response leaders and key stakeholders to evaluate and enhance six binational Sister-City Joint Contingency plans. The project will include two notification drills to test the plans for municipalities, fire departments and other key partners’ ability to make timely response with cross border counterparts.
These funds were awarded in partnership with the North American Development Bank under the Border 2025 U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program, a binational effort to protect human health and the environment in the U.S.-Mexico border region. The border region is defined as the area within 62 miles (100 kilometers) on either side of the border, as defined by the 1983 La Paz Agreement.
For more information on the Border 2025 Program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder
For most recent information see our newsletters here: https://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder/region-9-publications-and-successes
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Source: US EPA
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