San Antonio, Texas, March 9, 2004 -- In its effort to assist U.S. communities along the U.S.-Mexico border to conserve water, the North American Development Bank (NADB) is pleased to announce the approval of $16.4 million in grant resources from the NADB Water Conservation Investment Fund (WCIF) for six U.S projects.
Together these projects are estimated to cost $36.6 million and will receive WCIF grant funding in the amounts indicated below: 1. $1,800,000 for the construction of an interconnect system in Cameron County Irrigation District #2 in Texas; 2. $4,000,000 for the replacement of the river pumping plant also in Cameron County Irrigation District #2 in Texas;
3. $3,560,000 for a water conservation improvement project in Delta Lake Irrigation District located near Edinburg, Texas; 4. $1,500,000 for a water conservation improvement project in Hidalgo County Irrigation District #6 in Texas; 5. $2,500,000 for Imperial Irrigation District in California, which will be used to repair canals; and 6. $3,011,702 for a canal improvement project sponsored by the Yuma County Water Users' Association in Arizona.
These projects are expected to save more than 38,600 acre-feet of water annually. Most will also provide other important benefits, such as improving water management and irrigation efficiency, conserving energy, and reducing operation and maintenance costs.
The WCIF was created in August 2002 and funded with US$80 million of the Bank's retained earnings for the purpose of providing grant financing for water conservation projects in the border region. To date, the NADB has approved $67.4 million in WCIF grants for 13 projects.
For more information on the NADB or these projects, 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.
