ADEQ
Arizona Department^^,
of Environmental Quality
BORDER 2012: U.S.- MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
ARIZONA - SONORA
Spring 2007
Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup
By Editing Committee
As part of the Border 2012 Program's commitment to provide information
to border stakeholders, the Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup Newsletter
aims to keep border residents, legislators, and partners informed on the
program's progress. This annual newsletter looks back at the accomplish-
ments and issues of the past year and gives the reader a background on
several topics as well as a source for more information. In addition, there's
an updated contact list of the five regional task force leaders and Regional
Work Group chairs, to give readers an opportunity to actively participate
in the Border 2012 program. This issue marks the program's mid-point
and highlights several new accomplishments and partnerships that directly
affect Arizona's and Sonora's border communities. As the Border 2012
program continues to benefit local populations in this border region, read-
ers can access news and updates at the program Web site, http://www.epa.
gov/border2012. Readers with any questions, comments, and/or sugges-
tions regarding this newsletter are encouraged to contact us by phone at
619-235-4765 (EPA San Diego Border Office) or 1-888-271-9302 (ADEQ
Tucson Office).
BORDER 2012: U.S.- MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
ARIZONA- SONORA
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
SAN DIEGO BORDER LIAISON OFFICE
610 WEST ASH STREET, SUITE 905
SAN DIEGO CA 92101
OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300
AN EQUALOPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
o
ARIZONA/SONORA REGIONAL WORKGROUP
BORDER PEOPLE: CO-CHAIRS OF THE ARIZONA/SONORA
REGIONAL WORKGROUP 2
CESAR ALEJANDRO SALAZAR PLATT 2
CHEMICAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE TASK FORCE
UPDATE 2
CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE UPDATE 3
NEW RELEASE OF BORDER 2012 IMPLEMENTATION AND MID-TERM REPORT 3
OUTREACH TO ARIZONA CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE OFFICES 4
USING INDICATORS TO TRACK ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND TRENDS
AND PROGRAM PROGRESS 4
BIODIESEL PROJECT BENEFITS WATER AND AIR QUALITY 5
ENSURING COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF UNWANTED PESTICIDE STOCKS 7
COCOPAH'S EFFORTS TO RESTORE THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER
LIMITROPHE 7
ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO THE UNITED STATES FROM THE
PROPOSED CEGIR HAZARDOUS WASTE LANDFILL IN SONORA, MEXICO 8
PROTECTING BORDER COMMUNITIES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS 9
UPDATE ON DIESEL SCHOOL BUS RETROFITS AT THE SANTA CRUZ VALLEY
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 9
EPA/BECC TEAM UP FOR BORDER 2012 PROJECTS 10
BORDER 2012 COLLABORATION WITH THE ARIZONA-MEXICO COMMISSION 11
CONTACT SHEET 12
Any ADEQ translation or communication is unofficial and not binding on the State of Arizona.
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2 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Border People: Co-Chairs of the Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup
In the previous Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup Newsletter we highlighted the work and perspectives of two Co-Chairs that administer the workgroup
within the Border 2012 program, Steve Owens, Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Florencio Diaz Armenia, former Delegate
of Sonora Secretariat for Environment and Natural Resources. In this edition we are highlighting and welcoming a new member and Co-Chair of the Regional
Workgroup and his representative partner organization. This will give readers a personal look inside the people who are working to solve environmental
challenges that border communities face in the Arizona/Sonora region. We plan on continuing these profiles and updates in future newsletters.
Cesar Alejandro Salazar Platt
General Director of Sonera's Commission of Ecology and Sustainable Development
Cesar Alejandro Salazar Platt
assumed the position of General
Director of Sonora's Commission
of Ecology and Sustainable
Development, which is the State
Environmental Authority that formu-
lates and conducts the environmen-
tal policy in the state of Sonora.
Previously Mr. Salazar Platt was Sub-
Secretary of Agriculture Secretariat
(SAGARHPA).
Cesar Alejandro Salazar Platt, has
a Bachelor in Marketing from the
Tecnologico de Monterrey, with
Qualifications in Planning and
Coordination, and is a person com-
mitted to the protection of the
Environment and to the advance-
ment of Sustainable Development.
CEDES is a public agency with its
own judicial personality and its own
resources that has a commitment to
do and promote investigative stud-
ies of scientific and technological
character that contribute to promote
the knowledge of ecosystems and
regional environments.
At the same time it seeks to coordi-
nate the results of its work with the
productive sector, by means of living
services in accord with its purpose
of promoting culture and ecological
values with the establishment of the
center for exhibition of native spe-
cies and other ecosystems of the
planet.
TASK FORCE UPDATES
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Response Task Force Update
By Barbara Maco, EPA Region 9
Chlorine Release
Training
In February 2006, the Douglas
Fire Department used Border 2012
funding to organize the Chemical
Emergency Preparedness and
Response Task Force. Drill scenarios
and tasks included:
a reconnaissance mission
donning Level-A protective gear
and applying a pipe clamp
estimating "Course and Harm"
proper "Plug and Patch"
tactics
product monitoring
application of A-, B- and C-kits
assessing and containing leaks
in a pressurized cylinder and a
one-ton container
Nogales Sister City
Binational Emergency
Response Plan Signed
On April 25, 2006, the mayors
of Nogales, Arizona and Nogales,
Sonora signed the updated Sister
City Emergency Preparedness Plan
in a ceremony at the Nogales Port of
Entry. Using a Border 2012 grant,
the cities updated binational noti-
fication procedures, expanded the
plan's scope to include all hazards,
and made commitments to cross-
border emergency response.
For more information, contact
Barbara Maco at EPA (415) 972-
3794 or by email at maco.barbaraฎ
epa.gov
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Children's Environmental Health Task Force Update
By Norman Calero, EPA Region 9
The AZ/SN Children's Environmental
Health Task Force conducted a train-
the-trainer workshop to establish a
corps of trainers in Sonora that will
teach Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) in Sonoran border schools.
The first IPM Train-the-Trainer work-
shop was held in Fiscal Year 2006
and additional workshops will be
held in FY07. Given the established
role of pests and pesticides in trig-
gering asthma attacks, the workshop
will ensure that the Sonoran trainers
make IPM part of the routine in
schools throughout Sonora.
The task force will also conduct
outreach aimed at reducing asth-
ma triggers in the border region.
Outreach materials will include
bilingual information on reducing
outdoor air pollution and pesticide
use in the home. This effort will
benefit Arizona schools, state agen-
cies, and other organizations that
serve Spanish-speaking people
along the border.
For more information, contact
Norman Calero at EPA (415) 972-
3793 or by email at calero.nor-
man@epa.gov
New Release of Border 2012 Implementation and
Mid-Term Report
By Nick Martorano, EPA Region 9 ECO Intern
2006 was the mid-point of the
10-year U.S.-Mexico binational
environmental agreement, Border
2012. This progressive and ambi-
tious agreement set forth six goals
and twenty-three objectives to be
completed by 2012.
Border 2012 Goals:
1. Reduce Water Contamination
2. Reduce Air Pollution
3. Reduce Land Contamination
4. Improve Environmental Health
5. Reduce Exposure to Chemicals
(from accidental releases and/
or acts of terrorism)
6. Improve Environmental
Performance through
Compliance, Enforcement,
Pollution Prevention, and
Environmental Stewardship
The midterm of the agreement
provides an opportunity for both
countries to look back at the prog-
ress and accomplishments achieved
thus far, as well as look at lessons
learned with an eye toward making
amendments and improvements to
the original agreement.
The recently released U.S.-Mexico
Environmental Program: Border
2012 Implementation and Mid-
Term Report looks at some of the
many accomplishments achieved
along the border, organized by the
goals listed above. Each section
details two to three projects and
the progress made toward achieving
Border 2012 goals and objectives.
For example, Goal 3, Objective 3,
states
"By 2010, clean up three of the
largest sites that contain abandoned
waste tires in the U.S.-Mexico bor-
der region, based on policies and
programs developed in partnership
with local governments."
So far, two of the three largest
tire piles, INNOR and Centinela,
have been cleaned up, with more
than 1.6 million tires removed. The
cleanup of the largest pile located
in Ciudad Juarez is currently under-
way. Other key project accomplish-
ments include site stabilization of
the hazardous waste site Metales y
Derivados, the creation of drinking
water and wastewater infrastructure
for several indigenous communities
in Baja California, development of
the binational ambient air monitor-
ing network, and the signing of
Emergency Contingency plans by
all 14 sister cities. In addition to
project results, the report illustrates
challenges along the border, past
investments, and continued needs
for additional resources.
Border-wide partnerships and
binational collaborations have
been instrumental in the Border
2012 Program and are highlighted
throughout the report. Additionally,
throughout the report, a detailed
timeline featuring important mile-
stones, events, meetings and
accomplishments allows the reader
to recognize the program's overall
accomplishments in the past five
years. The report is also filled with
colorful photos and reader-friendly
language aimed at reaching a wide
audience. For additional information
U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program: Border 2012
Implementation and Mid-Term Report: 2007
on the Border 2012 Program and to
obtain a copy of the Implementation
and Mid-Term Report, please go to
the EPA Web site at www.epa.gov/
border2012B
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4 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Outreach to Arizona Congressional and State Legislative Offices
By Brent Maier, EPA Congressional Liaison, EPA
In October 2006, EPA and
the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality con-
ducted a series of briefings with
Congressional and state legislative
offices and staff on the Border
2012 Program. These briefings
provided an overview of the Border
2012 Program for elected offi-
cials whose districts lie within the
border region, highlighted how
EPA and ADEQ have partnered to
achieve environmental results on
the ground in the border region,
and discussed environmental
challenges unique to the border
community.
We met with the Arizona House
and State Senate legislative
committee staff whose primary
responsibility is working on envi-
ronmental issues. We also met
with the Phoenix-based staff of
U.S. Senators John McCain and
Jon Kyi, State Representative Ray
Barnes, Chairman of the House
Environment Committee, State
Senator Tim Bee, Majority Leader,
and the Tucson-based staff of
Senators McCain and Kyi, and U.S.
Representative Raul Grijalva.
A Power Point presentation enti-
tled, "Border 2012 - Partnering to
Achieve Environmental Results: A
Focus on Arizona" was developed
and used at each of these brief-
ings. In addition, a folder of mate-
rials was provided at each briefing
that included the following materi-
als: Border 2012 - U.S.-Mexico
Environmental Program Document;
Regional Workgroup Newsletter for
Arizona-Sonora; "Draft" Border
2012 Implementation Report; EPA
Progress Report 2006; and fact
sheets which highlighted selected
Border projects, activities, and
accomplishments for Arizona.
The Arizona briefings were the first
in a series of briefings we plan to
schedule in the coming months
with Congressional and state legis-
lative offices. We are planning to do
briefings in California in the early
part of 2007, and will follow that
up with a series of joint Capitol Hill
briefings in Washington, D.C. with
our EPA Region 6 and EPA head-
quarters Office of International
Affairs colleagues.
In addition to the outreach to
elected officials and their staff in
Arizona described above, I also
make it a standard practice to
provide outreach to members of
Congress in the border region by
using:
Border Region Congressional
Directory: Maintain a cur-
rent directory of staff contact
information and e-mail lists
for Region IX Members of
Congress in the U.S./Mexico
Border Region as well as the
U.S.-Mexico Congressional
Caucus Members that is used
for outreach of announce-
ments and other electronic
information.
Press Releases: Send all
Border 2012-related press
releases to program staff
of Members of Congress in
the border region for events,
activities or announcements.
Follow up calls to program
staff is done on high-profile
events or actions.
Border 2012 Website
Postings: Provide notification
to program staff of Members
of Congress in the border
region of Border 2012-related
postings or feature stories.
Border Environmental News
Articles: Share selected
border environmental news
articles that result from the
issuance of an EPA press
release or coverage of an
environmental issue of inter-
est to a Congressional office.
Border 2012 Grant
Opportunities: Provide noti-
fication to program staff of
Members of Congress in the
border region of Border 2012-
related grant opportunities.
Border 2012 Events/
Meetings: Increase invita-
tions of Federal/State/Local
elected officials to Border
2012 events/meetings as well
as offer field visits to staff
of Members of Congress who
are interested in a particular
environmental issue.
Through all of these combined
efforts, we are doing our best
to both improve stakeholder par-
ticipation and foster transparency,
public participation, and open dia-
logue with elected officials in the
border region.
For more information, contact
Brent Maier at EPA (415) 972-
4256 or by email at maier.brentฎ
epa.gov
Using Indicators to Track Environmental Conditions and Trends and
Program Progress
By Sandra Duque, EPA, and Vance Fong, EPA
The recently released State of the
Border Region 2005 is the first of
a series of environmental indica-
tor reports produced by the U.S.-
Mexico Border 2012 program.
These indicators track environmen-
tal conditions and trends for water,
air, land, public health, emergency
preparedness and response, and
enforcement and compliance in
the U.S.-Mexico border region.
What role do indicators
play in Border 2012?
Indicators are an integral and fun-
damental component of Border
2012. When the United States
and Mexico established concrete
goals for improving environmental
quality and health along the bor-
der, they also committed to using
sound indicators to accurately
measure progress. The indicators
focus attention on the key envi-
ronmental issues that the program
is seeking to address, including
goals, objectives, and results of
the many Border 2012 activities.
The process of developing the
indicators involved a collaborative
effort between the United States
and Mexico, engaging federal,
regional, state, and local govern-
ments as well as academic institu-
tions, non-governmental organiza-
tions and others in planning and
implementing activities to improve
border environmental quality.
Key Messages in the
Report
In 2000, the percentage of
households with access to
piped drinking water indoors
was 93% or higher in the
U.S. Access in Mexican com-
munities ranged from 61% to
84%.
The number of days in
2005 in which air quality
exceeded particulate matter
(PM10) standards ranged
from none in the Lower Rio
Grande Valley to 43 days in
the Mexicali/lmperial Valley
region.
As of December 2005, over
two million tires had been
removed from five border
region waste sites. This
includes the complete clean-
up of the INNOR tire pile,
resulting in the removal of
425,000 tires. Removed tires
were used in cement kilns as
tire-derived fuel, in asphalt as
crumb rubber, and in erosion
control embankments, among
other creative uses.
Fourteen out of fifteen sister
city pairs along the border
have established Sister
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City Binational Emergency
Response Plans. The plans
provide local emergency
response teams with a mecha-
nism for cooperatively address-
ing issues and concerns, and
recommending emergency
response planning, exercises,
and training.
The number of enforcement
actions on the U.S. side of
the border region declined
to 85 in 2004 from 110 in
2003. However, the total dollar
value of penalties increased
to over $3 million in 2004
compared to less than $1.5
million in 2003. Between
2001 and 2004, Mexico's
Annual Environmental Program
of Inspection found 1,077
serious violations among the
11,059 inspected border
facilities.
Next Steps
The next State of the Border Region
report is expected to be released in
2008. The Border Indicators Task
Force wants to develop additional
environmental and health indicators
and sharpen existing ones based on
sound data. Expanding the current
set of indicators will allow for more
comprehensive communication on
how the border region is respond-
ing to environmental pressures. The
Border 2012 program is commit-
ted to continuously improving the
quality, timeliness, and comprehen-
siveness of the indicators so that
improvements in public health and
environmental conditions along the
border can be better understood.
For this effort to be successful, on
the ground expertise from border
states, tribes, and partner organiza-
tions is important.
Further Information
Further information on State of the
Border Region 2005 and the Border
2012 program can be found at the
Border 2012 web site: http://www.
epa.gov/border2012
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
Biodiesel Project Benefits Water and Air Quality
By Doug Liden, EPA Region 9
The municipality of Nogales,
Sonora is served by a binational
sewer system that feeds waste-
water to the Nogales International
Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rio
Rico, Arizona. Water sampling at
both the primary binational out-
fall as well as within the Nogales
(Sonora) collection system indi-
cates wastevegetableoil and grease
is a maintenance problem and
leads to sewer clogs and overflows.
At times, the overflows have con-
tributed to raw sweage flows within
Nogales Wash - a perennial stream
running through both communities
and easily accessible to the public.
Past studies conducted by the
Instituto Tecnologico de Nogales
(ITN) and the Arizona Department
of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
suggest that improper disposal of
waste vegetable oil and grease
by businesses contributes to the
problem. Proper maintenance and
disposal of oil and grease would
lessen the frequency of overflows
that contaminate the wash.
Ambos Nogales is also plagued
by poor air quality. Both Nogales,
Arizona and Nogales, Sonora reg-
ularly violate the national clean
air standards of their respective
countries. Particulate matter is
the primary cause of those viola-
tions, and diesel vehicle emissions
are a major source in the region.
Particulates have been identified
as a key factor in respiratory ill-
ness and an asthma trigger in both
communities.
In order to address both of these
environmental issues, the Border
2012 Arizona/Sonora Air and
Water Task Forces agreed to pro-
vide $90,000 to the Rio Rico Fire
District to develop capacity for
the production and use of biodie-
sel in these border communities.
This project is designed to reclaim
waste vegetable-oil and grease,
convert it into biodiesel, and dem-
onstrate the use of the fuel in
School and Public Sector Safety
Vehicles. Biodiesel is an EPA-
approved alternative fuel, which
may be blended with petroleum-
based diesels and used directly
in diesel engines. By creating a
market for used vegetable oil, less
oil and grease will be disposed of
through the sewer system. There
will also be benefits to air quality
because burning biodiesel releas-
es less particulate matter, carbon
monoxide, and hydrocarbons than
regular diesel.
The project will establish facilities
for small-scale biodiesel produc-
tion and will create a map of local
producers of waste vegetable oil
and grease linked to data about the
quality and quantity of the waste.
It will demonstrate successful use
of biodiesel in vehicles operated
by the fire departments, and will
ultimately result in a strategy for
expanding production and use of
biodiesel within Ambos Nogales.
"The Fire Service usage of diesel
fuel could well be supplanted by
a dependable source of biodiesel.
If we can demonstrate that this
can be produced locally, using
waste vegetable oil and grease
that is currently a problem in the
local sewer system, our community
wins on many fronts," said Mike
Foster, Fire Chief of the Rio Rico
Fire District. "The fact that diesel
emissions would be reduced by
the use of biodiesel in our trucks,
ambulances and buses is another
great benefit."
This project is a binational, collab-
orative effort of public and private
institutions in northern Sonora
(municipality of Nogales) and
southern Arizona (Santa Cruz and
Pima counties). Project partners
include the Rio Rico Fire District
(RRFD), Bomberos de Nogales,
Privados Portatiles S.A. de C.V., Rio
Rico Rentals (RRRI), the Southeast
Arizona Area Health Education
Center (SEAHEC), Instituto
Tecnologico de Nogales (ITN), and
the University of Arizona (UA), with
support from the ADEQ, Public
Safety Association of Santa Cruz
County (PSA-SCC), Pima County
Associations of Government Clean
Cities Coalition (PAG-CCC), and
Asociacion de Profesionales en
Seguridad y Ambiente (APSA). In
addition to Border 2012 funds, Rio
Rico Fire District, the University of
Arizona, and a private donor will
contribute a total of $15,000.
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6 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
ADEQ has recruited private entities
within the Tucson biodiesel commu-
nity to provide expertise for capacity
building, and has provided training
to students at ITN on waste veg-
etable oil characterization, biodiesel
manufacturing, and finished fuel
quality evaluation. Additionally,
the ADEQ Border Hydrologist Hans
Huth has shared information on this
project at public venues such as
the Southern Arizona Environmental
Management Society Pollution
Prevention Seminar, Friends of the
Santa Cruz River Annual Meeting,
and a Conference on Sustainability
at the Institute Tecnologico de
Nogales.
Meanwhile, faculty and two research
assistants from the University of
Arizona have been working with fac-
ulty and students from ITN and the
Nogales High School and Rio Rico
High School Health Careers Clubs.
Their work to date has focused on
introducing the students to biodie-
sel and on designing and pilot-
testing the questionnaires that the
students will administer to restau-
rants on both sides of the Arizona-
Sonera border and maquiladoras in
Nogales, Sonora. The UA Chemistry
Department has also donated labo-
ratory safety equipment. ITN has
provided space for the facility, as
well as faculty and student time.
SEAHEC has dedicated staff time
and use of their site and simul-
taneous translation equipment for
meetings.
The project has also received tech-
nical support from other partners
and private companies. Colleen
Crowninshield of the Pima County
Clean Cities Coalition gave a work-
shop on biodiesel and alternative
fuels to UA and Nogales High School
students, faculty, and the SEAHEC
project coordinator. Michael Guymon
of Arizona BioFuels and Michael
Kazz of Grecycle, Inc. presented
workshops to students and teach-
ers in the SEAHEC Health Careers
Clubs at Nogales and Rio Rico
High Schools and have provided
more information to students work-
ing on biodiesel projects. Tucson
resident Steve Fischer, a member of
a biodiesel co-op, gave a workshop
for UA and ITN students on the
dual-stage process he developed for
converting waste vegetable oil and
grease to biodiesel. The Friends of
the Santa Cruz River have agreed
to donate equipment and materi-
als to biodiesel production facilities
on both sides of the border, and
over $3,000 in laboratory equip-
ment has been donated to date
by two Tucson companies, Turner
Laboratories and Alcoa Fastening
Systems. "The Rio Rico Fire District
is proud and thrilled to be collabo-
rating with so many partners who
are working at making this project
the success we are certain it will be.
I feel we are on the cusp of some-
thing very important to the Ambos
Nogales region," Foster said.
For more information, contact Doug
Liden at EPA, (619) 235-4763
or by email at liden.doug
govB
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Ensuring Collection and Disposal of Unwanted Pesticide Stocks
By Mary Grisier, EPA Region 9
To address one objective of
EPA's Strategic Plan that aims to
reduce the worldwide inventory of
Persistent Organic Pollutants (such
as, DDT, Endrin, Toxaphene), EPA's
Pacific Southwest Pesticides Office
and Waste Program sponsored
two pesticide collection/disposal
events for growers in the Arizona-
Sonora Border region. The event
in San Luis, Sonora was attended
by representatives of SAGARHPA
and SEMARNAT (Mexico's State of
Sonora Department of Agriculture
and their Federal Environmental
Agency). Approximately 85,000 Ibs.
and 300 gallons of waste pesticides
were collected.
These pesticides included Toxaphene
and DDT, both of which have been
banned for over 10 years. Other
waste pesticides included approxi-
mately 30,000 pounds of methyl
parathion, and 52 liters of Azinphos
Methyl, a pesticide currently being
proposed for a complete phase-out
in the U.S. Many of the waste pesti-
cides collected had not been stored
properly. To make matters worse,
packaging had degraded, and chil-
dren were playing in or near some
of the waste piles.
The Yuma, Arizona event brought in
approximately 5,600 Ibs. and 180
gallons of waste pesticides, includ-
ing Endrin, Diazinon, and 2,4-D.
All of these pesticides have been
either banned or severely restricted
in approved uses. Representatives
from the Arizona Departments of
Agriculture and Environmental
Quality assisted in ensuring that
growers'pesticide materials matched
with registration forms.
Building on the success of these
two projects, EPA plans to conduct
a similar collection event in FY07 in
the Imperial Valley/Mexicali border
region.
For more information, contact Mary
Grisier at EPA, (415) 972-4213 or
by email at grisier.mary@epa.gov
Cocopah's Efforts to Restore the Lower Colorado River Limitrophe
By Linda Reeves, EPA Region 9
For many centuries, the Cocopah,
known as the River People, lived
in harmony with the mighty Lower
Colorado River Delta region, one
of the largest tidal wetlands in
the world. Today, the river is
among North America's top ten
most endangered rivers (American
Rivers organization, 1998), and
the Cocopah Indian Nation is lead-
ing efforts to restore the highest
conservation priority area in the
delta region: the Lower Colorado
River Limitrophe.
The Limitrophe is the segment
of the Lower Colorado River
that serves as the international
boundary between the U.S. and
Mexico, and divides the Cocopah
from their Cucapa relatives in
the Baja California delta region.
On the U.S. side, 12 miles of
the 23 mile Limitrophe are on
the Cocopah Indian Reservation,
and 10 miles are on Bureau of
Reclamation land. In a 2005
report, the Limitrophe was identi-
fied as the top conservation prior-
ity in the delta by the Sonoran
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8 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Institute, Environmental Defense,
University of Arizona, Centra de
Investigacion en Alimentacion y
Desarrollo, Pronatura Sonora and
World Wildlife Fund.
With funds from EPA, the Bureau
of Indian Affairs and the Bureau
of Land Management Reclamation
(BORLM), the Cocopah Indian
Nation restored over 200 acres of
riparian habitat in the Limitrophe
by removing stands of invasive
salt cedar and restoring native
cottonwood, willow and mesquite.
The tribe is also restoring another
150 acres, with funds from the
Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation. DHS sup-
ports salt cedar removal because it
opens up corridors which enhance
security operations along the
border.
These restoration efforts coincide
with other efforts in the area, most
notably the City of Yuma's East and
West Wetlands Project conducted
in partnership with the Quechan
Indian Nation. That project
restored 1,500 acres upstream of
the Limitrophe, with nearly half of
the restored acres on the Quechan
Indian Nation's reservation.
Opportunities exist to expand res-
toration of the Limitrophe. In
December 2006, the BLM issued
a draft Environmental Impact
Statement proposing creation
of a Limitrophe Coordinated
Management Area (CMA) for BOR's
4500 acres along the Limitrophe.
The proposed Limitrophe CMA
would protect and maintain ripar-
ian habitat and marsh vegetation,
as well as enhance the character-
istics of the Limitrophe area iden-
tified by the Cocopah and other
tribes as important for traditional
uses.
Together, the Cocopah Indian
Nation and the National Wildlife
Federation (NWF) formed the
Colorado River International
Conservation Area (CRICA) steer-
ing committee to secure permanent
cultural and biological resource
protection for the Limitrophe area
in the U.S. and Mexico and to
secure adequate water flows for
wildlife and habitat protection.
The CRICA unites diverse stake-
holders from over 20 non-govern-
mental organizations and local,
state, and federal agencies from
the U.S. and Mexico.
Restoring the Limitrophe is part of
a much larger binational effort to
protect the lower Colorado River
and Delta region. In 1993, the
Mexican government designated
2.3 million acres of the upper Gulf
of California and the Colorado River
Delta as a Biosphere Reserve. The
goal of some organizations is to cre-
ate a binational conservation area,
extending from the Limitrophe to
the biosphere preserve. With the
aid of current and future projects,
the Colorado River can be restored
and protected for generations to
come.
For more information, contact
Linda Reeves at EPA, (415) 927-
3445 or by email at reeves.lindaฎ
epa.gov
Assessment of Potential Impacts to the United States from the
Proposed CEGIR Hazardous Waste Landfill in Sonora, Mexico
By Emily Pimentel, EPA Region 9
The CEGIR project is a private sec-
tor initiative for the construction,
operation, maintenance, and clo-
sure of a hazardous waste treatment
and disposal facility in the state
of Sonora, Mexico. The proposed
CEGIR Hazardous Waste Landfill
would operate under a license
issued by Mexico's Secretariat
for the Environment and Natural
Resources (SEMARNAT). The pro-
posed site is approximately 25
miles from the U.S.-Mexico border
in the state of Sonora.
International treaties and the
Consultative Mechanism recognize
the sovereignty of nations to make
their own siting and permitting
decisions on proposed hazard-
ous waste treatment, storage and
disposal facilities. However, since
the proposed landfill is within the
border region, EPA conducted
an assessment of the project's
potential impacts to the United
States. In preparing the assess-
ment, EPA took into consideration
written and verbal comments pro-
vided by the Arizona Department
of Environmental Quality (ADEQ),
the Tohono O'odham Nation, and
SEMARNAT, which is the Mexican
agency responsible for permitting
the proposed facility. EPA released
the findings of the CEGIR assess-
ment in November 2006 (go to
http://www.epa.gov/usmexicobor-
der for the full report).
EPA's assessment found that for
several aspects of the project there
is insufficient information to confi-
dently assess impacts to the U.S.
The assessment also concluded
that:
Impacts to surface water are
unlikely.
Impacts to groundwater are
unlikely, but it would be pru-
dent to modify the leachate
collection and leak detection
design.
Impacts to air pose a poten-
tial risk that should be miti-
gated by preparing an emer-
gency response plan.
SEMARNAT should further
assess and mitigate impacts
to migratory birds.
SEMARNAT should directly
consult with the Tohono
O'odham Nation to deter-
mine and mitigate the tribe's
concerns.
The assessment highlights
several areas where additional
information would be required
to reduce the uncertainty of
the findings. EPA has asked for
SEMARNAT's continued coopera-
tion to respond to the concerns
identified in the assessment and
in letters from ADEQ and the
Tohono O'odham Nation. EPA has
also asked to be kept informed
on the construction status of the
proposed project.
EPA understands that SEMARNAT
issued a permit to operate, but
the municipality of Sonoyta must
approve the construction and land
use permits before the project can
proceed. As of January 2007, the
CEGIR Project had not received
these permits.
If readers would like to offer addi-
tional information regarding poten-
tial impacts to the United States,
please contact Emily Pimetel at
pimentel.emily@epa.gov or call
(415) 972-3785. EPA will facili-
tate communications and transmit
comment to SEMARNAT on behalf
of interested parties in the U.S.
To provide information directly to
SEMARNAT, contact the Director
of Hazardous Waste and Materials,
M. en C. Alfonso Flores Ramirez,
SEMARNAT aflores@semarnat.
gob.mx
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Protecting Border Communities through Sustainable Emergency
Preparedness
By Barbara Maco, EPA Region 9
On November 15, history was
made in the coastal city of Puerto
Penasco when three binational
border emergency management
entities met for the first time to
share program successes and plan
future collaborations to prepare,
respond and reduce the risk of
environmental emergencies.
Seventy attendees from six Border
States representing local, state,
and federal stakeholders dis-
cussed initiatives such as Resolute
Response: Preparedness Through
Binational Training, using the
sister city plans and adequate
equipment.
The first border governors subcom-
mittee on emergency management
focused on establishing protocols,
training opportunities, standard-
ization of procedures, information
sharing, alert notification, pan-
demic influenza issues and coor-
dination with U.S. agencies along
the border such as EPA and FEMA.
The emergency managers for the
States of Arizona and Sonora rec-
ommended that they co-chair the
subcommittee for the first year and
then rotate among other states.
To strengthen self-sustaining
response capacity, the groups
addressed the Incident Command
System, acquiring sorely needed
personal protection equipment,
expanding inter-operable commu-
nications, resolving liability, insur-
ance for cross border response,
and establishing a Regional Joint
Training Facility in Rio Rico. The
groups also agreed to leverage the
resources of key meeting partici-
pants including State Department
of Public Safety, the Department
of Homeland Security and the
U.S. Department of Defense
NORTHCOM
Border 2012 projects high-
lighted during the Puerto
Penasco meeting were the
signing of updated sister
emergency contingency plan
for the cities of Nogales,
Sonora and Nogales, Arizona,
and capacity building for the
Douglas Fire Department to
respond to chorine releases
(see article on page 2.) A
key 2007 initiative is the
Pilot Project On High Risk
Sources, led by the State
Civil Protection Agency.
The Border 2012 Task Force
Co-Chairs are Lie. Willebaldo
Alatriste, Director, Proteccion
Civil, Sonora and Mr. Louis
Chaboya, Director, Office of
Emergency Management,
Santa Cruz County. During the
past year the Task Force also
met in Agua Prieta, Sells, and
Tucson.
For more information, contact
Barbara Maco at EPA, (415) 972-
3794 or by email at maco.bar-
eovB
Update on Diesel School Bus Retrofits at the Santa Cruz Valley Unified
School District
By Emmanuelle Rapicavoli, EPA Region 9
In October 2006, The Santa Cruz
Valley Unified School District
completed the installation of 31
diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs)
on school buses operated by the
district. The catalysts are expected
to reduce particulate matter emis-
sions by 20% to 30% and to
reduce carbon monoxide and vola-
tile organic compounds by 50%.
During the month of December,
the district was installing diesel
particulate filters (DPFs) on an
additional three buses. These fil-
ters are expected to reduce par-
ticulate matter by 90% and nitro-
gen oxide emissions by 5% to
10%. To better accommodate the
new emission controls, the district
will begin using a 20% blend of
biodiesel fuel (B20) in its vehicles
in early 2007. Once the project
is complete, the district will have
retrofitted 74% of their fleet with
either DOCs or DPFs.
In 2007, EPA will fund a similar
project in the Nogales Unified
School District to retrofit their die-
sel school bus fleet. EPA's Office
of International Affairs recently
committed to provide $50,000 to
expand the project to the Nogales
District. Once completed, these
projects will help reduce par-
ticulate emissions in this PM10
non-attainment area and will also
reduce school children's exposure
to diesel emissions.
For more information regarding
this project, please contact Jose
Rodriguez at (520) 628-6952 or
q.gov at ADEQ.
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10ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
EPA/BECC Team up for Border 2012 Results
By Lorena Lopez-Powers, EPA Region 9
The new EPA Partnership with the
Border Environment Cooperation
Commission (BECC) to further
the goals and of the Border 2012
Program is getting results. The EPA/
BECC- partnership is implement-
ing more than 30 environmental
projects and disbursing over $1.6
million for these projects in the
Arizona/Sonora and the California/
Baja California border region. The
funded projects will accelerate envi-
ronmental results in an area with
a combined population of almost
7.4 million people. The projects are
focused on addressing community
needs along both sides of the bor-
der, including testing of brick kiln
emissions around local schools in
San Luis Rio Colorado, training to
better respond to rail car spills,
collection and disposal of obsolete
pesticides, and removal of waste
tire piles.
The BECC's expertise as a bina-
tional organization, together with
its existing institutional strengths,
further strengthen the partnership,
since the BECC has a long his-
tory of promoting and implementing
important environmental projects
that improve border communities'
living standards.
Here is a listing of some of the proj-
ects in the Arizona/Sonora Border
Region:
Border 2012 Goal 1:
Water
The Municipal Utility
of Potable Water and
Sewage of Nogales, Sonora
(OOMAPASNS) is constructing
a new laboratory, which will
allow the utility to monitor, and
thereby better regulate, the
quality of the waste streams
from industrial and com-
mercial sources that flow into
to the Nogales International
Wastewater Treatment Plant
(NIWTP) in Rio Rico, Arizona.
The effectiveness of this
laboratory will be enhanced
through the purchase of an
atomic absorption spectrometer
for metals analyses, funded
through Border 2012. With
this equipment, OOMAPASNS
will provide highly accurate
water quality analyses that are
legally defensible in a court of
law. Kino Labs has committed
to provide funding for training
in the use of the purchased
equipment as well as training
for the implementation of qual-
ity assurance and control pro-
cedures required for Mexican
certification.
Border 2012 Goal 2: Air
Arizona State University and
ADEQwill partner with San
Luis Rio Colorado schools in
this project to sample particu-
late air pollution around local
schools, and to investigate the
extent to which nearby brick
kiln emissions are triggers for
childhood asthma. The data
will support possible local
government efforts to relocate
brick kilns to places outside
the city limits where the
impacts on local residents will
be greatly reduced.
Border 2012 Goal 3:
Waste
In partnership with
SEMARNAT, ADEQ, Sonora,
and Sonora municipalities,
funds will be invested in the
cleanup and removal of up
to 300,000 abandoned tires
from communities in Sonora,
to reduce potential sources
of land contamination. The
tires will be processed as tire-
derived fuel at a cement plant
in Hermosillo.
The Tohono O'dham Nation
will remove vehicles and trash
abandoned by undocumented
migrants and drug smugglers
on the Nation's land. The
vehicles will be inventoried
and removed for asset recovery
and recycling, while the waste
cleanup will clear several
washes and watersheds.
Border 2012 Goal 4:
Environmental Health
The ADEQ and the University
of Arizona have been funded
to develop an integrated
pest management strategy
in schools along the Arizona/
Sonora Border Region, to
achieve healthier indoor air
and reduce environmental
asthma triggers through sig-
nificant reductions in pesti-
cide use and pest-generated
allergens.
Border 2012 Goal 5:
Emergency Preparedness
and Response
A pilot project in Ambos
Nogales will identify and
address potentially harmful rail
car spills. The project will help
quantify rail car problem areas
to reduce chemical releases
and develop preparedness and
response capability.
Border 2012 Goal
6: Environmental
Performance
To accelerate progress on
increasing industry participa-
tion in EMS (Environmental
Management Systems) and
ISO (International Organization
for Standardization) certi-
fication, the Association of
Environmental and Health
Professionals (APSA) has
received funds for an EMS
implementation and verifica-
tion project. The group will
work with industry on EMS
development and implementa-
tion, and ISO certification.
For more information on the Border
2012 U.S.-Mexico Environmental
Program, go to: http://www.epa.
gov/Border2012 or please contact
Lorena Lopez-Powers at lopez-pow-
ers.lorena@epa.gov or at 619-235-
4768.
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Border 2012 Collaboration with the Arizona-Mexico Commission
By Edna Mendoza, ADEQ
ARIZONA-MEXICO
COMMISSION
Environmental projects in the
Arizona-Sonora border region
have the good fortune of receiv-
ing an added level of support.
The long history of state-to-state
cooperation through the Arizona-
Mexico Commission (AMC) often
strengthens mutual efforts and
helps ensure their success.
The Arizona-Mexico Commission
and its counterpart in Sonora,
Comision Sonora-Arizona, are
branches of the governors' office
of each respective state and have
been in existence since 1959.
The AMC is a membership-based
nonprofit corporation consisting of
several committees that formu-
late programs and action items
relating to issues that impact the
Arizona-Mexico relationship. Its
mission is to improve the economic
well-being and quality of life for
residents of Arizona by promoting
a strong cooperative relationship
with Mexico and Latin America
through advocacy, trade, network-
ing and information.
The first Arizona-Sonora Border
2012 Regional Workgroup(ASRWG)
meeting was held in conjunction
with an AMC conference during
June of 2003 in Tucson, Arizona.
Subsequent collaborative events
have drawn hundreds of interested
participants and stakeholders.
The AMC, particularly through
its Environment and Emergency
Management Committees, has pro-
vided strategic support to projects
implemented by the ASRWG's five
task forces by executing action
items. The action items include
an outline of tasks to be com-
pleted and a time line for each. A
few examples of successful mutual
efforts are - the completion of the
"Plan of Action for Improving Air
Quality in Ambos Nogales"; inte-
grated pest management training
of personnel in Sonora schools;
development of an industrial pre-
treatment program in Nogales,
Sonora; implementation of an
environmental management sys-
tem training program; and devel-
opment of sister-city contingency
plans in the Arizona-Sonora border
region.
Border region focus by the AMC
Environment and Emergency
Management Committees for
2007 will address waste tires in
the border region and developing
a trinational emergency response
and contingency plan with the
Tohono O'odham Nation for the
Lukeville, Arizona and Sonoyta,
Sonora area. Both of these are also
priorities of the Arizona-Sonora
Regional Workgroup.
For additional information on the
AMC and the work of its vari-
ous committees, please visit www.
azmc.org
If you have any comments or questions about the Border 2012 Program of the Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup, please contact
Lorena Lopez-Powers at lopez-powers.lorena@epa.gov or Edna Mendoza at mendoza.edna@azdeq.gov
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12 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs
Laura Yoshii
Deputy Regional Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9
Stephen A. Owens
Director
Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality
John Swanson
Delegate
Sonora Secretariat for Environment and
Natural Resources
Lie. Cesar Salazar Platt
Director
Sonora Commission of Ecology and
Sustainable Development
Task Force Co-Chairs
U. S. Co-Chair and Organization
Phone Numbers & E-mail
Mexico Co-Chair and Organization
Phone Numbers & E-mail
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Louis Chaboya
Santa Cruz County Department of
Health
520-375-8000
Lchaboya@co.santa-cruz.az. us
Willebaldo Alatriste
Sonora Civil Protection
52-6621-154130
wac@proteccioncivilsonora.gob.mx
Water
Linda Taunt
ADEQ
602-771-4416
taunt.linda@azdeq.gov
Roberto Fernando Salmon Castelo
National Water Commission
52-6622-124988
rsalmon@grno.cna.gob. mx
Children's Environmental Health
Ward B. Jacox
ADEQ
602-771-2231
jacox.ward@azdeq.gov
Elitla Edith Frfas Bustos
SEMARNAT
52-6622-592721 (or 18)
impacto@sonora.semarnat.gob.mx
Waste and Enforcement
Emily Pimentel
US EPA
Bill Keener
US EPA
Edward M. Ranger
ADEQ
415-972-3326
Pimentel.Emily@epa.gov
415-972-3940
keener.bill@epa.gov
602-771-4477
ranger.edward@azdeq.gov
Ernesto Munro Palacio
PROFEPA
Biol. Cesar Catalan Martinez
CEDES
Francisco Javier Maytorena Fontes
PROFEPA
52-6622-175459
delegado_son@correo.profepa.gob.mx
52-6621-710466/6622-103661
cedesplaneacion@yahoo.com
52-6622-175454 (53 or 59)
auditoria_son@correo.profepa.gob.mx
Ambos Nogales Air Quality
Edna Mendoza
ADEQ
520-628-6710
mendoza.edna@azdeq.gov
Angel Lopez Guzman
Sonora Secretariat of Urban
Infrastructure and Ecology
52-6622-131966
arkilopez@yahoo.com
Other Contacts
Tomas Torres
EPA Border Program Coordinator
torres.tomas@epa.gov
619-235-4775
Lorena Lopez-Powers
Arizona-Sonora Regional Workgroup
Coordinator
lopez-powers.lorena@epa.gov
619-235-4768
Edna Mendoza
Interim Border Environmental Manager
mendoza.edna@azdeq.gov
520-628-6710
Tibaldo "Ty" Canez
Arizona Border Tribal Coordinator
tylcanez@msn.com
480-820-1426
602-565-2752 (eel.)
Websites
US.EPA Border 2012
www.epa.gov/border2012
SEMARNAT
www.semarnat.gob.mx
ADEQ
www.azdeq.gov
CEDES
www.cedes.gob.mx
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