Raymondville, Texas, breaks ground on new water treatment plant

Raymondville, Texas, April 23, 2003 -- The City of Raymondville, Texas, recently broke ground on a water treatment facility that will provide residents with a safe, potable water supply able to meet current and future demand.

Officials from the North American Development Bank (NADB) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) joined local leaders and staff members from the offices of Congressman Solomon Ortiz and State Senator Eddie Lucio at a ceremony for the project.

The NADB is providing more than US$4.5 million in construction and transition assistance for the Raymondville project, which has a total estimated cost of US$7.45 million. The NADB grant is being provided through the Bank's EPA-funded Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF). The TWDB is providing a loan for the project.

"We thank the NADB and the TWDB for working together with the City of Raymondville to improve the precious water we drink," said Mayor Joe Alexandre. "This is an important day in South Texas, and especially in our community."

Raymondville has nearly 10,000 residents and is located approximately 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The City's new plant, which will have the capacity to treat 4.5 million gallons of water per day, replaces a 62-year-old facility with limited treatment capacity. The new plant will provide current and new customers with quality service.

"The NADB is proud to see the City of Raymondville break ground on this water treatment facility," said Raúl Rodríguez, NADB Managing Director. "I am pleased that the Bank is contributing more than $4.5 million in BEIF construction and transition assistance for the project, and we salute the TWDB for its contribution."

Through its BEIF program, the NADB has approved more than US$433 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$493 million in loans and grants for 57 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.