Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, July 22, 2003 -- The North American Development Bank (NADB) and the water utility, Junta de Aguas y Drenaje de Matamoros (JAD), signed an initial grant agreement for US$15 million to help finance the city's Comprehensive Water and Wastewater Project.
The grant is made available through the NADB's Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), which operates with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The governor of Tamaulipas, Tomás Yarrington, and the mayor of Matamoros, Mario Zolezzi, acted as honorary witnesses to the signing of the grant agreement between NADB Managing Director, Raúl Rodríguez and JAD General Manager Salvador Treviño Garza.
The NADB is providing a total of US$33 million for the first phase of the Comprehensive Water and Wastewater Project, which is estimated to cost US$77 million. The initial Bank contribution will be applied towards the first phase of the project, which consists of the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, six pump stations and installation of approximately 16 miles of pipeline which will allow the utility to extend service to 81 subdivisions in the city for the benefit of more than 88,000 residents.
"We are pleased to be in Matamoros once again-just a month following project certification-to sign this BEIF grant agreement," stated Raúl Rodríguez. "We have worked very hard with JAD in developing the terms of the contract, and today we are witnessing the results of that joint effort, which will greatly benefit the residents of Matamoros."
Certified on June 19, 2003, by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), the project has been divided into two phases, and its completion will allow the utility to meet current and future water and wastewater demand in compliance with state and federal regulations.
The rest of the funding for the first phase will come from grants provided by Mexican federal, state and local governments. In addition, the BECC will provide a grant for design work through its Project Development Assistance Program (PDAP).
Through its BEIF program, the NADB has approved US$470 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$598.6 million in loans and grants for 61 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.
Text of previous editions of NADB News may be viewed at http://www.nadb.org.
