Tecate celebrates completion of water and sewer works

Tecate, Baja California, April 11, 2003 -- The city of Tecate on Friday marked the completion of several water and sanitary sewer line projects carried out in various areas of the city, which were partially financed with a grant from the North American Development Bank (NADB), through its EPA-funded Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF).

Before a crowd of residents in the Luis Donaldo Colosio and Maclovio Herrera subdivisions, Baja California Governor Eugenio Elorduy Walter joined Municipal President Juan Vargas Rodríguez and NADB Managing Director Raúl Rodríguez in a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the inauguration of water and sewer works that will improve the quality of life and the environment for the 74,000 residents in this border community.

The works inaugurated are part of Tecate's three-phase US$8.24 million water and wastewater improvements and expansion project certified by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission in June 2000. NADB is contributing a total of US$3.7 million in grant funds for construction of the works in phases II and III.

"We are pleased to be in Baja California again, this time to witness the inauguration of water and sewer works financed by the Bank for the benefit of Tecate's residents," commented Raúl Rodríguez. "The Bank and the Baja California government through its various agencies are currently working on the development of additional environmental projects, and we expect to finalize more financing in the near future for their implementation."

The completed phase II works consisted of replacement, relocation and installation of more than 3,750 water meters, construction of a collector and sewer lines in the Colosio, Valle Verde, Granjas Garzón, Escudero y Fundadores subdivisions, as well as installation of a backwash recovery tank and replacement of waterlines in the downtown and Callejón Madero areas. This phase also included construction supervision for these works, as well as the design for the rehabilitation of the treatment plant, which will be carried out in phase III.

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.