' U.S.-Mexico Environmental Border Program BORDER PROGRESS REPORT May 2011 L 'The U.S.-Mexico Border Environmental Program continues to be a model of cooperation and collaboration between neighboring nations, and has achieved tangible, on-the-ground, environmental and public health results for communities in the U.S.-Mexico Border region." Michelle DePass National Coordiantor, United States Enrique Lendo National Coordinator, Mexico ------- ------- U.S.-Mexico Border Progress Report May 2011 This document was prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 and Region 9 Border Program with contributions from our partners. Information was obtained through meetings and communication related to the Border 2012 Program. Not all activities are included in this document, but we hope that this document demonstrates the significant efforts being carried out by the Border 2012 Program partners. Goal 1- Reduce Water Contamination Border Infrastructure Program - Exceeded EPA targets for drinking water and wastewater connections Households Connected to Safe Drinking Water and Adequate Wastewater Service: Developing infrastructure to deliver safe drinking water to people and to reduce untreated discharges to border region rivers, aquifers, and oceans has been a high priority of Border 2012 and previous bi-national environmental programs. EPA's Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), combined with funds from partner agencies in Mexico and the U.S., help make projects affordable for communities in the Border Region. In 2003, an estimated 98,575 homes lacked safe drinking water and an estimated 690,723 homes lacked adequate wastewater collection and treatment service. Since then, an estimated 52,130 homes were connected to a safe community drinking water system, representing 53% of the homes that lacked service in 2003. The 254,125 homes connected to adequate wastewater collection and treatment service during this same period represents 37% of the homes that lacked service in 2003. A lack of wastewater service poses both a public health and environmental risk to communities. The impacts of raw sewage discharges to a river or stream include pathogens that make the water unsafe for recreation or reuse, organic loads that deplete oxygen and choke aquatic life, and nutrients that lead to algal blooms. Wastewater collection and treatment projects can dramatically reduce contamination of rivers and surface waters by removing untreated or inadequately treated sewage discharges, which provides environmental benefit as well as public health benefits. For every household that is hooked up to a collection and treatment system, roughly 200 gallons of raw sewage per day is prevented from reaching our shared waterways. REGION 6 > Border Infrastructure Program: In FY10 the program completed 71,926 wastewater connections, 19,751 drinking water connections, and disbursed $22.1 million dollars towards construction projects. ------- > Valle de Juarez Operator Training: EPA provided $25,000 in Border 2012 funds to the BECC, to provide capacity building assistance to those responsible for the administration of the water and wastewater systems in the Valle de Juarez, Chihuahua area. The training will help protect the environment and improve public health of 20,000 residents. > Stormwater& Reclaimed Water Workshop: EPA, the El Paso Water Utilities and other Border 2012 Water Task Force members hosted the second binational "Green Approaches to Stormwater and Reclaimed Water Workshop" in El Paso, Texas on September 23-24, 2010. The workshop was attended by more than 200 participants from US and MX. Wastewater Pretreatment Workshops: EPA held two pretreatment workshops in El Paso, and Mission, Texas on Februarys and 11, 2011, respectively. The workshops focused on providing participants with a greater understanding of the regulatory framework and technical applications involved in industrial pretreatment program compliance activities. Approximately 97 participants, from both sides of the border attended the two workshops. Grease Traps in Matamoros, Tamaulipas: The city of Matamoros began a program to enlisted restaurants in the installation and cleaning of grease traps to prevent system overflows and run-off pollution. To date the city is working with 350 businesses. Clean-up ofLaguna Escondida in Reynosa: During 2010 Reynosa made great strides in a multi-year project to clean up this lake in the city, which had been contaminated by discharges from PEMEX, discharges of raw wastewater from a city plant, and illicit trash dumping by citizens. PEMEX has contributed significant funding for the clean-up. Clean-up of Drainage Canals in Matamoros: I n 2010, with partial funding from a Border 2012 grant, the municipality completed a project cleaning up 237,000 m2 of canals. This reduced flooding caused by blockages and pollution that could drain into the Rio Grande. Dia del Rio Project- October 2010: By leveraging funding from a Border 2012 grant, the Rio Grande International Study Center in Laredo, Texas worked with various partners along the entire Rio Grande to coordinator watershed awareness activities in multiple cities on both sides of the border. Sixty student teams from U.S. and Mexican schools conducted water quality sampling using 11 parameters in different ------- reaches of the river (including the headwaters), and approximately 2,000 volunteers participated in cleanup and planting events. The festivities drew extensive media attention with projections for a documentary about the river. REGION 9 > Funds Disbursements: Borderwide BEIF Funds totaling $28.5 million were disbursed during FY2010 to support construction of priority infrastructure projects. Of this, $6.4 million was disbursed for projects in AZ, CA, Sonora and Baja California. > EPA Infrastructure Funding for New Projects: The project ranking and selection process is nearly complete for the FY11/12 Border Environmental Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) - Project Development Assistance Program (PDAP) Prioritization. The Border Environment Cooperation Commission received a total of 196 applications with estimated construction costs of more than $750 million. In Region 9, 86 proposals were submitted from communities with total construction costs estimated at $280 million. Project selection for FY11 funding is anticipated to be complete in May 2011 following consultation meetings with U.S. and Mexico funding partners and agencies. > R9 Projects Certified for Construction: In Region 9, 3 projects completed development including environmental compliance and final design, and were certified to proceed to the construction phase. A project to provide first-time wastewater services to the Colonia located between B & C Streets (known as B&C Colonia) in Yuma, AZ was certified. In a partnership with USDA-RD (ARRA), EPA awarded $2.25 million in BEIF fund for this project that will deliver sewer services to the nearly 3,000 residents of the Colonia. EPA also certified wastewater infrastructure projects in San Luis Rio Colorado and Nogales, Sonora, with BEIF awards of $2.7 and $8 million respectively. The San Luis Rio Colorado project will provide first time wastewater collection and treatment services to more than 13,000 residents. In Nogales, construction has begun on the Los Alisos wastewater treatment plant and conveyance system, which will bring transboundary flows of raw wastewater within the international limits allowed by treaty. > Water and Wastewater Infrastructure projects completed in 2010 California/Baja California A Border Environmental Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) grant of nearly $6.5 million helped Calexico complete upgrades and expansions to their drinking water treatment and distribution facilities. This project benefits over 26,000 residents. > Three BEIF projects were completed in the colonias of Aztlan, Independencia, and Lomas de Rosarito in Playas de Rosarito, which provide new wastewater connections and treatment services to over 13,000 residents of this community to the south of the Tijuana metro area. 5 ------- Wastewater collection projects were also completed in Tijuana, BC, connecting over 8,000 homes and serving 35,000 people Arizona/Sonora A project in Douglas, AZ was completed to upgrade the community's wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. Two BEIF projects upgrading drinking water storage/distribution and wastewater collection systems in Nogales, Sonora were also completed, benefiting over 200,000 residents. A wastewater collection project in San Luis Rio Colorado, SN, connected nearly 11,000 homes serving 38,000 people. > Nogales, Sonora LosAlisos Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Ground Breaker: On July 27, 2010, EPA participated in this groundbreaking ceremony for the Los Alisos WWTP. In attendance were the Mayor of Nogales, the Governor of Sonora and representatives from the BECC, the North American Development Bank and Mexico's National and Sonera's State Water Commissions (CONAGUA and CEAS, respectively). The project, which has been under development for many years, culminates 15 years of efforts to eliminate the flows of raw sewage crossing the border at Nogales. > Tour of Tijuana and inauguration of Border 2012 Park by EPA Region 9 Deputy Regional Administrator Keith Takata : On September 8, Keith Takata and other EPA officials visited the International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Ysidro, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Los Laureles Canyon in Tijuana to gain a better understanding of the environmental problems in the HBHMI^HR^BHiH border region. The Deputy Regional Administrator also attended the inauguration of the Border 2012 Park, which was funded, in part, through a $50,000 Border 2012 grant. The park utilizes pervious pavement and over 10,000 used tires to reduce storm water runoff. > West Coast Estuaries Initiative Grant to restore Tijuana Estuary: After the Tijuana River crosses the U.S.-Mexico border, it culminates in the 3.9 square-mile Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) designated by the International Ramsar Committee as a "wetland of international importance," (one of only 29 wetlands so designated in the U.S.). The estuary is surrounded by intense urban development in San Diego and Tijuana. In 2009, EPA awarded a 3-year, $990,898 grant to the Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association (SWIA) (a partner of the TRNERR) through the 2008 West Coast Estuary Initiative to help improve water quality, remove invasive plants, and ------- restore habitat in the Tijuana River Watershed. While only halfway through the grant period, SWIA has already held 50 on-the-ground watershed improvement projects, in which nearly 1,400 volunteers have participated. These volunteers spent nearly 4000 hours on a variety of tasks, including removing invasive species, planting native vegetation, and removing trash and tires from wildlife habitat. 18 acres of habitat have been restored and 12,000 pounds of trash (including 152 tires) have been cleared from the estuary. In addition, SWIA has secured the long-term commitment of 92 new volunteers who have been trained to educate the public about the importance of protecting and preserving the Reserve and other coastal wetlands. The grant also funds work on the Mexican side of the border. SWIA has worked closely with the Tijuana City Municipal Planning Agency to develop the legal process for establishing conservation easements. These easements are a critical step in preventing development in highly erosive areas that could significantly worsen the amount of sediment that enters the Tijuana Estuary. The conservation easements also provide much-needed green spaces in Tijuana where children and adults can learn about the importance of preserving native vegetation. The first easement, a 20-acre site in Los Sauces (aka, Yogurt) Canyon, was recently adopted by the City of Tijuana, and many more sites are currently in development. Goal 2 - Reduce Air Contamination REGION 6 The Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) celebrated its milestone, 50th meeting in El Paso > 50th Meeting of the Joint A dvisory Committee (JAC): The Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) celebrated its milestone, 50th meeting in El Paso, Texas on November 4, 2010. Current JAC members commemorated the event by recognizing the Charter Members of the JAC and the JAC's predecessor, the Paso del Norte Air Quality Task Force. The JAC has been in existence over 14 years and has assisted with key programs that have improved air quality in the Paso del Norte Region. > Initiation of emission inspection programs for vehicles in Tamaulipas municipalities. In 2010 the State of Tamaulipas established inspection programs in Matamoros, Reynosa, and Nuevo Laredo, and is currently updating the emission inventories for their municipalities. > Improving Air Quality in Ojinaga, Chihuahua: Thru a 2009 Border 2012 grant, the City of Ojinaga planted approximately 1500 trees throughout the city to help reduce the impacts of particulate matter from unpaved roads. In addition, three PM10 monitors were placed in Ojinaga to monitor air quality in the area. 7 ------- > Air Quality Monitoring Training: On September 16-17 and November 20, 2011, EPA, SEMARNAT and Cuidad Juarez air quality technical staff trained Ojinaga personnel on the use and maintenance of air quality monitors. The training included setting up required computer data software. In addition, on February 18, 2011, experts from Mexico's National Institute of Ecology under Mexico's National Systems for Information of Air Quality program met with EPA to discuss monitoring in the state of Chihuahua. REGION 9 > Sonora and Baja California Identify Greenhouse Gas Sources, Begin Mitigation: With support from Border 2012 and BECC, the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California have completed their greenhouse gas emissions inventories. For additional information on this project, please click here: 2010 Accomplishments Report for Border 2012 or visit http://www.epa.gov/border2012/docs/reports/Border2012ProgramHighlights.pdf. > Baja California Climate Action Plan: With Border 2012 funding, the BECC has signed an agreement with the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) to facilitate the development of a Climate Action Plan in Baja California. The Baja Climate Change Working Group held its first meeting in Tijuana in December to begin developing a plan to mitigate GHG emissions and adapt to climate change (a second meeting was held in January 2011). The final report will be done by Fall 2011. Funding is still needed for the development of the adaptation part of the plan. > Emissions Inventory for Tijuana/Rosarito: The emissions inventory for criteria pollutants forTijuana/Rosarito was completed in October 2010. Results from the inventory show that the major contributor of PM10 and PM 2.5 is unpaved roads, while heavy duty trucks, private automobiles and busses are the major contributors of NOx. The Mexican federal government will develop a Pro Aire (somewhat similar to a State Implementation Plan under the Clean Air Act) to identify opportunities for emission reductions. > Alternative Fuel Research for Brickmakers in Agua Prieta: This project was developed to research fuel alternatives for brick makers in the City of Agua Prieta with the goal of reducing the atmospheric polluting emissions in the border region. The use of oils and residual fat from restaurants is being studied as a substitute for the use of wood, plastics, and motor oil currently being used. Based on preliminary data, it appears that the use of oils and residual fat from restaurants produces far less PM 2.5 than wood and approximately 50% less CO. The final supplemental report was submitted in September 2010. > Air Quality Study for Western Arizona-Sonora: ADEQ has contracted with the University of Arizona to work on the modeling and risk assessment. A final report is expected to be completed by December 2011. ------- School Bus Retrofits: This initiative to improve air quality in two Arizona border counties has been completed with the installation of retrofit devices on 71 school buses, reducing emissions from 30 to 90 percent depending on the device used. For additional information, please visit this link: http://www.epa.gov/border2012/docs/reports/Bor der2012ProgramHighlights.pdf Ambos Nogales and Yuma County, AZ/San Luis R.C., Sonora Clean Air Calendars The annual calendars featuring drawings submitted by border students were completed and distributed to stakeholders. Led by ADEQ every year, this air quality calendar incorporates student artwork and thoughts on improving public health, air quality, and the environment. The calendars are binational, bilingual and are focused on informing and educating the local communities about air quality issues in the border region. /^ Sonora Climate Action Plan: This Border 2012- funded Action Plan is being developed to identify strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the State of Sonora. The Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), in coordination with the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS), is planning a third and final workshop of the State Climate Action Plans (SCAP). The first two workshops were held in August 2010 and January 2011. The Third, and final, Module workshop is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday June 8 and Thursday June 9, 2011. The priority policies and management actions selected, fully described, and discussed in the second module, will need to be quantified with state-of-the-art techniques for maximum credibility. In this third module, macro- and micro-economic techniques will be outlined specifically to assess policy options to determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions expected to be reduced, the cost/savings of the total reductions and the cost/savings per ton of emissions reduced. Qualitative cost-benefit analyses will also be discussed. Goal 3 - Reduce Land Contamination Scrap Tire Management REGION 6 Reynosa, Tamaulipas collected 300,000 scrap tires. Disposition of these tires is pending Reynosa's search for funding to ship the tires to a cement kiln in Monterrey. ------- Matamoros, Tamaulipas, with funding support from YYY, organized a scrap tire collection effort in 67 neighborhoods that brought in 25,000 tires. Including that subset, during the year Matamoros shipped a total of 73,000 scrap tires to a CEMEX plant in Monterrey. Laredo, Texas received a Border 2012 grant to oversee a one-year project to educate citizens on the proper disposal of scrap tires, hold a collection event, improve the local tire ordinance, and explore avenues for material reuse as an alternative to landfill disposal. A scrap tire event in September 2010 collected 10,000 tires. Pharr, Texas passed a strict scrap tire ordinance that set rules for businesses and citizens, and also collected 61 tons of scrap tires in 2010. > Ciudad Acuha, Coahuila, with partial funding from SEMARNATand the Secretariat for the Environment of the State of Coahuila, shipped 60,000 scrap tires in the last half of 2009 from an existing pile to a CEMEX plant in Monterrey. The city also established three tire collection stations and a transfer station and by the end of 2010 had gathered another 200,000 tires. > Cities of Ascension, Janos and Columbus, New Mexico, signed a Tire Initiative Letter of Understanding on October 27, 2010, to collaborate on developing a sustainable scrap tire management plan. The signing took place at the New Mexico-Chihuahua Rural Taskforce meeting in Columbus, New Mexico. Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua sent approximately 2 million scrap tires to Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua in Cuidad Juarez to be co-processed. The reduction of scrap tires from the Cuidad Juarez landfill, is an ongoing partnership between the State of Chihuahua, Grupo de Cementos, EPA, SEMARNAT and Cuidad Juarez thru a formal Corporation Agreement that began in 200 Used Electronics Chihuahua City hosted the Eco-Recickla on December 3, 2010 bringing in 76 tons of used electronics. An additional 90 tons were collected in the communities of Las Cruces, New Mexico; Alphine, Texas; El Paso, Texas and Ojinaga, Chihuahua. 10 ------- > Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas established a new program in May and collected more than 19,000 Ibs of used electronic products by the end of the year. > Laredo, Texas, continuing a program initiated several years ago, collected 28.5 tons of used electronic products. > Piedras Negras, Coahuila worked with Eagle Pass, Texas to develop collection programs for used electronic products. Some of the promotion on both sides of the border was organized by a youth environmental group called "Green-Tech Osos." The collection centers opened in March in both cities. By August, Piedras Negras collected more than 410 tons. By October, Eagle Pass had collected 100 tons. > Pharr, Texas held a special collection event for used electronics in December 2010 and collected 22,000 pounds. They accepted items from four small neighboring cities. Hazardous Waste, Recycling, and other Special Clean-up Programs > Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The city collected 14,500 liters and 8,000 kilograms of household hazardous waste from February to August 2010. Also, with a grant from EPA the city cleaned up 15 illegal dumpsites, collecting 1,600 cubic meters of trash and 16,000 scrap tires. > Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas collected more than 3,500 gallons and more than 36,300 Ibs of household hazardous waste in 2010. > Pharr, Texas launched a recycling center in September 2009, and in early 2010 received an EPA grant of $20,000 to help build the program. The program director provides environmental education presentations in both English and Spanish to the local school district and local businesses and at regular city functions and special events. Over 200 tons of trash, scrap tires, metals, and other recyclables were diverted from the landfill to the recycling center during the grant period. The city also held "Project Clean Sweep" during which 100 volunteers collected 263 bags of trash as well as 1,213 scrap tires in one weekend. 11 ------- > In McAllen, Texas, the Keep McAllen Beautiful group organized a series of presentations attracting 45,500 attendees, and collected 200 tons of waste with the help of 1,300 volunteers. > Reynosa, Tamaulipas reported a collection of 2,508 liters and 1,141 kilograms of house-hold hazardous waste from one community event, and completed 50% of its campaign to clean up empty lots. > Harlingen, Texas held two "Trash Bashes" that together attracted 1,200 volunteers to clean up selected areas of town. They collected 2.5 tons of trash. In an additional clean-up effort, 125 volunteers went into five neighborhoods and collected 38 tons of trash. > Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas held a bulk trash collection program in January 2010 and collected 90 tons of materials. Reynosa, Tamaulipas began a clean-up program at caliche excavation sites. The sites have been used as illegal dumpsites and human settlements, causing an environmental health problems. In June 2010 the municipality cleaned up four different areas and collected 7,000 cubic meters of waste. In 2008 the community of Ojinaga, Chihuahua was subjected to an extraordinary flooding event which resulted in the accumulation of debris and sediment and the dispersion of waste and pollutants throughout the community. In 2010, thru an EPA Border 2012 grant, the City of Ojinaga, Chihuahua removed more than 4,500 m3 of waste from 8,502 homes by conducting a public campaign to remove household hazardous waste. Other cleanup efforts led to the removal of 749,096 m3 of scrap metal and 3.7 tons of e-waste and unused appliances. In addition, it collected approximately 30,887 scrap tires which are currently pending final disposal. REGION 9 > Border Enforcement in California and Arizona: EPA provides a state grant to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). Under this grant they have 12 ------- responsibility for conducting inspections, outreach and supporting our Border 2012 program task forces and Waste Policy Forum. DTSC and San Diego County, under a contract agreement with them, conduct inspections at the ports of entry in Otay Mesa and Calexico. The California environmental inspectors work under a cooperative agreement with US Customs & Border Protection to conduct these inspections at the California ports of entry. In fiscal year 2010-2011 DTSC conducted inspections of 2,731 trucks (non-declared haz waste), 207 trucks with hazardous waste, and 78 trucks with Universal waste/E- waste. Recent examples of cases include: hazardous waste disposed of at local landfill; hazardous waste transported by unauthorized haulers; E-waste mismanagement; and scrap metal contaminated with hazardous waste. EPA provides a state grant to Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to provide enforcement support at the border and they have one full time inspector. US Customs and Border Protection do not allow inspections of cross-border hazardous waste shipments without an explicit MOU. ADEQ has been awaiting a directive from DHS CBP for coordination with ADEQ at the Arizona ports of entry. > Arizona Border Trash Cleanups and Website Resources: Arizona is impacted by migrants crossing the border and the trash, bicycles, vehicles and other debris that is left behind. Since 2003 Bureau of Land Management has implemented a program to mitigate impacts resulting from border trash. EPA has partnered with BLM to leverage their field resources. The Tohono O'odham Nation's (TON) most recent grant effort completed in December 2010, in partnership with BLM and EPA, resulted in the cleanup of 28 tons of trash (3,289 bags) and 325 bicycles. In order to assist in quantifying impacts, cleanup efforts, and resource needs, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) developed a website designed to archive, track and quantify border trash cleanups. The web page, completed ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^•n in December 2010, also provides guidance to facilitate cleanups from government to volunteer groups. It is anticipated that Tohono O'odham, the tribe that has been most impacted, will input information about past cleanups funded by EPA and BLM. In early 2011, awareness of this issue resulted in 500,000 visitors. The ADEQ website can be found at: http://www.azbordertrash.gov/. > California Scrap Tire Enforcement, Cleanup and Binational Scrap Tire Management: California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, known as CalRecycle, has entered into an Interagency Agreement with the University of California, Berkeley for Technical Assistance for the Creation of a Methodology for the Development of a Model Integrated Waste Tire Management Plan Framework for the State 0/60/0 California, Mexico. A stakeholders meeting will take place in late Fall 2011 with the final report due 13 L v-U ------- Spring 2012. This effort builds on the "Border Waste Tire Flow Study for the California Mexico Border Region" published in August 2009 (translated in 2010) and prepared by Dr. Paul Ganster, of the Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias at San Diego State University http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/Tires/2009018Sp.pdf CalRecycle also continues efforts to enforce compliance with tire handlers and transporters. For example, it has a cooperative effort with California Highway Patrol (CHP) to provide assistance statewide for enforcement of waste tire hauling and disposal regulations. CalRecycle continues to provide training and publications about California waste tire regulations to Mexican tire haulers and generators. CHP provides the same information at border crossings. CalRecycle periodically sends letters to Southern California tire generators about applicable laws when giving waste or used tires to unregistered haulers, including unregistered haulers operating beyond California borders. This information covers waste tire hauler permit requirements, checkpoint participation and how to report illegal waste tire pile locations. CalRecycle also awarded several grants for tire cleanups and enforcement in San Diego and Imperial County. Staff are still in the process of reviewing grant applications for FY 2011/12 funding. Grant awards will occur in April/May 2011. Tijuana Solid Waste Management: The Colegio de la Frontera Norte completed a project to assess the composition of household trash among three economic strata's to help inform decisions about future policy on recovery of materials (trash) for recycling/reuse. The project also Foro * Residues Solidos: Repensando para Renovarjijuana Solid Waste Forum: ^Aparte la fecha" »- ZSavd'ttie dote'.x ethinking to Renew Tijuana de mayo, 2010 r/i.'n _ 'entro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) ' surveyed households to determine their willingness to pay for trash collection services. The project results revealed that households generate about 1.8 Ibs/day of trash and the largest components of recoverable trash consists of organics (food 28% and yard waste 4%), followed by plastics and paper. The survey found that 50% of the households were willing to pay for trash collection services, much more than expected given that most Mexican citizens receive this as a free public service. The project also held a Solid Waste Management Forum in May to promote a public awareness and action campaign to reduce, reuse, and recycle focused on government institutions and citizens of Tijuana. The forum was held as part of a larger effort to understand the institutional and infrastructure needs to improve trash management in Tijuana that will lead to mitigating trash flow in the Tijuana River Estuary. As a result of this forum, Border 2012 is currently implementing a project to develop an urban composting program from food scraps and yard trimmings. APSA Electronics Collection in Sonora: To develop experience with conducting voluntary E-waste collections, APSA, the Nogales, Sonora industrial environmental safety association, partnered with a couple of industries to promote E-waste recycling. The 14 ------- project exceeded expectations by collecting 17 tons and engaging 12 maquiladora industries, colonias in Nogales, two local colleges, Soriana, a large commercial center, and the University of Sonora in Hermosillo. APSA worked with TOM's a regional recycling company, to collect the materials. The maquiladoras encouraged their employees to bring obsolete electronics and electrical equipment from home. ASPA recruited volunteers from their own organization, as well as colleges in Nogales and the University of Sonora in Hermosillo. The maquiladoras that participated agreed to continue offering this service to the community for an indefinite period of time. APSA's educational outreach efforts generally reach 95 maquiladoras in Nogales, Sonora, about 100 percent of this business sector. > Workshop Promotes Composting Practices in Tijuana: On April 15, 2011, EPA and Calidad de Vida, a non-profit Border 2012 grantee co-hosted a forum with the American Consulate office in Tijuana to promote dialogue among the municipal, agricultural, and commercial sectors about institutional composting practices including food composting. SEMARNAT, EPA, and the Consulate provided opening remarks to over 90 people attending on significance of launching this project. The American Consulate contributed financial support for the venue at a LEED certified building and travel for expert speakers from the cities of San Francisco, San Diego, and Solano, along with Baja CA and Mexico City. > Dean Carter Binational Center for Environmental Health Science: The Binational Center at the University of Arizona is a program to address environmental border contaminants, particularly those derived from mining and agricultural activities. The Binational Center completed a multi-year program 2006 to December 2010 focused on building human capital and fostering ties between U.S. and Mexican researchers through training, collaborative research, and specialized workshops. The program leveraged two grants totaling $2.2 million (with state match) with the Border 2012 Program. It accomplished nine specialized workshops attended by 909 participants in topics ranging from mine tailing remediation to effects of heavy metals and arsenic, with the last one held on September 2010 in Mexico City. It also partnered with Mexico's Office of Science & Technology to support exchanges of 40 graduate students or Ph.D.-level professionals from 11 Mexican Universities to be trained in fellowships working on five special study areas in remediation and human health, the later meeting rigorous human-subject testing protocols. The program leveraged its expertise to support SEMARNAT's remediation of Nacozari, one of Mexico's top Centre Binacional Estados Unidos-Mexico para Ciencias Ambientales y Toxicologfa 15 ------- remediation priorities. The Binational Center has recommended addressing mining contamination and pesticides as a high priority area of future work for the Border 2012 program. > Sonora Mine Tailing Remedies and Soil Amendments through Composting: The University of Sonora implemented a project to explain efforts associated with mine tailing remedial efforts in Nacozari, Sonora. The project involved educating the public about the role of composting as a way to improve soil of low nutrient quality in home gardens, as well as, mine tailings to enhance revegetation as part of stabilization efforts regionally. The project trained 75 head of household adults, 85 children from local schools, and 19 long-term volunteers to continue working with community members. Overall, the educational outreach related to both composting and remedial efforts benefitted about 3,000 households in the region through general town-hall outreach efforts in Nacozari and Esqueda, an adjacent town that also has a history of mining. In association with the municipality of Nacozari, USON has conducted a series of educational outreach events, including one held in the summer of 2010 on practices to prevent and minimize public health risks especially to children caused by wind-borne arsenic-laden dust. This Border 2012 Grant leverages collaborative research done by the University of Arizona (UA) and USON on revegetative stabilization by the U.S.-Mexico Binational Center at the UA in Tucson which is highlighted in the following web page: www.binational.pharmacy.arizona.edu/SonoraRemedialProiect.php > Outstanding Progress in Sonora Scrap Tire Management Efforts: One of the largest scrap tire piles in Sonora has been cleanup through combined local, state, and federal efforts including seed funding from BECC. The Nogales landfill has an adjacent area dedicated to scrap tires which past assessments estimated were in the tens of thousands. Nogales was one of the first border municipalities to sign the Binational Tire Initiate in 2009. As a result of this partnership, BECC and EPA funded Nogales to prepare a tire management plan that explored various alternatives to prevent future tire piles and cleanup their existing legacy tire piles. Recently, they reported the cleanup of 750,000 tires from the Nogales landfill -processed as tire derived fuel at CEMEX. They also completed a scrap tire management plan that includes a program for continuous removal to prevent accumulations and a public 16 ------- outreach campaign on prevention. They also have tire cleanups ongoing in all border cities & Hermosillo and Puerto Penasco. Promote and Develop Responsible E-waste Practices in Five Baja CA Cities: REMEXMAR, a national non- profit organization whose mission it is to develop environmental policy and promote responsible waste management practices, has lead an effort to develop capacity for E-waste management in five Baja CA cities. Their strategy was to partner with academic institutions given they have a population of students and academics committed to improving and protecting the environment. REMEXMAR developed a project to hold E-waste collection exercises and use these to train members of these institutions. To date they have completed 7 of the 15 exercises, trained 155 persons, and collected 2,377 pieces of E- waste (computer keyboards, phones, etc.) equal to 8.7 tons for dismantling and recycling. The project will serve to develop a guide for holding voluntary collection events that could also inform potential national certification programs of interest regionally. The project also coordinated with the Institute of National Ecology, a branch of SEMARNAT, to inform their national studies about the public's disposition to recycle based on population demographics. Goal 4 - Improve Environmental Health REGION 6 Aqua XXI promotes better hygiene and environmental practices to border residents living in colonias surrounding Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua > Binational Municipal Vector Patrols in the sister cities of Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The two cities worked together on a vector patrol project that identified highest risk area in each city, performed periodic mosquito sampling to track progress, conducted outreach activities, applied larvicides in areas where stagnant water could not be eliminated or drained, performed selective spraying campaigns, and coordinated clean-up events in the high-risk areas. The two cities worked together on planning of this project with assistance from a Border 2012 grant and local funds from the City of Matamoros. > Reducing the incidence of asthma through education on pesticide exposure. The Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health office in McAllen, Texas received a grant from EPA in 2009 to develop and give various presentations/workshops related to exposure to pesticides inside and outside the home and proper management techniques intended to reduce the exposures and reduce the related incidence of asthma. By the end of 2010, these presentations had been made to a total of 1,807 17 ------- physicians, nurses, promotoras, school health professionals, asthma patients, families, and farmworkers. > Pesticide Awareness Theater: On October 23, 2010, "El Moscas y Los Pesticidas" was performed before an audience over 700 community members of San Juan, Texas, delivering awareness on worker safety requirements, basic self- help actions on improving worker safety and family exposure, health impacts to adults and children, and tips on identifying and minimizing pesticide use. The community-theater concept is reaching national attention with events planned in New Mexico and Washington State in May and June 2011. > Children's Health Outreach Effort: The City of Laredo Health Department, the Environmental Services Department and EPA partnered to launch a children's health outreach effort to build capacity and increase knowledge of current children's health issues and combative strategies through workshops. The train- the trainer workshops and awareness activities were attended by 5,416 participants ranging from outreach workers, the medical community, family counselors, school district custodians, parents and elementary school students. As a result the program has generated an enthusiasm for learning about healthier lifestyles for themselves and for their families and serves as a model for success. > Rehabilitation of Sanitary Facilities in Schools: Thru a $25,000 Border 2012 grant, the Municipality of Juarez was able to rehabilitate sanitary facilities in approximately nine schools throughout Cuidad Juarez. The goal of the project was to improve public health in the student population by reducing the number of gastrointestinal incidences among the student population at these nine schools. A significant decrease in absenteeism in the schools was reported as a result of the rehabilitation of the sanitary facilities. Reducing Pesticide Exposure: In 2010, the Center for Environmental Resource Management completed a Border 2012 Grant that focused on reducing pesticide 18 ------- exposure thru education in the Paso del Norte Region. As part of the grant, key material used for community talks was translated from English to Spanish. In addition three workshops were held to train 11 community workers (promotoras). Over 495 home visits were conducted in communities of El Paso, Cuidad Juarez, San Elizario and Sunland Park. Approximately 41 community talks were organized with over 221 participants. The project exceeded its objectives by holding more workshops, conducting more home visits and community tasks than had been proposed. > Environmental Education in New Mexico: The Ben Archer Health Center in New Mexico received a Border 2012 grant to assist with educating families in Luna, Dona Ana, Otero and Sierra Counties regarding environmental issues such as assessing homes for needed safety improvements and assistance with making those improvements. As of July 2010, the project team had conducted 204 home visits. The BAHC provided handouts and education on topics such as household chemicals, safe use of pesticides and proper home safety. > Border Energy Form XVII: A Border 2012 grant to the Texas Border FflCTCV F( General Land Office, provided funds for the 2010 Border Energy Forum in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Over 350 participated in the forum, with attendees from government, non- government and private entities from both the U.S. and Mexico. The forum helps develop partnerships and encourages new energy projects throughout Northern Mexico and the U.S. XYII > Aqua XXI: Through a Border 2012 grant, Aqua XXI has been conducting a project to promote better hygiene and environmental practices to border residents living in colonias surrounding Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua. The project which began in September 2009, has already resulted in: a) Eleven information presentations that have benefitted 200 adults and 140 children; 2) Three puppet theatre presentations of "Teatro Guinol" to 150 children and adults; 3) Two capacity building workshop to approximately 16-18 community workers and 4) Distributed 550 packets of information material that includes a variety of brochures, coloring books and education comics. REGION 9 > Training Modules on Environmental Health for Promotoras along the Arizona and Sonora Border: To address the need for environmental health information by residents of the Arizona/Sonora border region, the University of Arizona, Binational Center is 19 ------- working with several partners to develop educational modules that will be used to train community health workers (promotoras). The modules, which cover arsenic, pesticides, environmental toxicology, and fate and transport of contaminants, have been drafted and reviewed by U.S. experts. The U of A drafted assessment surveys in order to identify knowledge gaps, interests, and specific information that the modules should incorporate. The Sonora Environmental Research Institute (SERI), Regional Center for Border Health (RCBH), and the Institute Tecnologico de Sonora (ITSON) have identified the promotora pilot groups located in Tucson, Yuma, and Ciudad Obregon respectively who will be trained and tested on the modules. Agricultural Burning in Imperial County, CA: Burning of agricultural fields to remove crop stubble has been associated with hospital mortality in other countries and with asthma outcomes in California. Agricultural burning occurs in many regions of California, including near the U.S./Mexico border region in Imperial County. Particulate matter (PM2.5), and many chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are emitted during agricultural burning. Investigators from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and San Diego State University (SDSU) obtained funding from the Border 2012 Program to: (1) conduct air monitoring in Imperial County and (2) develop and distribute exposure reduction recommendations. A 70-page report on the study has been submitted to EPA and the BECC and will be available once approved. Fact Sheets with behavioral recommendations to reduce exposures based on the findings contained in the report have been distributed and are posted on EHIB's website here: http://www.ehib.org/proiect.isp7proiect key=AGBU01 > Reducing Diesel Emissions Impacting School Children in Tijuana, Mexico: The Environmental Health Coalition, with a grant from the Border 2012 Program, continues crossborder efforts to address diesel truck emissions impacting children in Colonia Chilpancingo, Tijuana. Working with a group of youth organizers a comic was completed titled "jQueremos Aire Limpio!" The youth group gave seven presentations to over 200 people on the project and continues to gather signatures for their petition to reroute heavy diesel truck traffic out of their neighborhood. To date, over 1,000 signatures have been collected. They continue meeting with decision makers and elected officials to discuss alternate traffic routes. Integrated pesticide illness surveillance and exposure prevention in California and Baja California: With funding from the Border 2012 Program the California Department of Public Health's California Office of Binational Border Health (COBBH) and the Baja California Health Services Institute (ISESALUD in Spanish), in collaboration with a long list of Border Partners worked together to increase the reporting of pesticide illness and 20 ------- unsafe working conditions, and to inform farmworkers about their rights and available resources regarding pesticide exposure and unsafe working conditions. Together they developed a protocol to facilitate communication between Mexicali and Imperial County on binational cases of pesticide illness and poisonings. They held trainings for healthcare providers in El Centre, Heber, and Coachella with videoconference participation from three community clinics in Imperial and Riverside Counties as well as three trainings in Mexicali and Tecate. In addition, they created a radio public service announcement for farm workers in Spanish and in two different Mexican indigenous languages, which aired 320 times in Mexicali in May and June 2010. They distributed posters and 3,300 award winning information cards as well as conducted face-to-face farmworker outreach to 2,200 people in 6 cities. Goal 5 - Emergency Preparedness and Response REGION 6 TX/NM/Chih Emergency Preparedness Task Force conducted a bi-national emergency response exercise that involved closing the Port of Entry in Santa Teresa, NM > Contingency Plans for Cd. Acuha/Del Rio and Piedras Negras/Eagle Pass. InNovember 2010 EPA awarded a grant to the Border Environment Cooperation Commission to assist with updating their joint contingency plans (the most recent plans were signed in 1998). > Contingency Plan for Matamoros/Brownsville: EPA awarded a grant to Brownsville in January 2010 to work with Matamoros on updating their 2002 contingency plan. > Bi-National Exercise: On November 22, 2010, the B2012 TX/NM/Chih Emergency Preparedness Task Force and Mexican partners, conducted a bi-national emergency response exercise that involved closing the Port of Entry in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The drill involved a spill of an unknown chemical approximately 1/4 mile south of the Port of Entry. The drill was a first full scale exercise for the Regional Workgroup and had 100 participants. Contingency Plan for Laredo-Nuevo Laredo: Staff of the two cities updated the plan in 2009-10 and Nuevo Laredo approved the revisions, but the Laredo City Council delayed consideration because of security concerns. Knowledge Exchange Workshop for the Lower Rio Grande Valley: The U.S. Northern Command and EPA/Region 6 hosted this workshop for emergency response agencies from the Texas counties of Hidalgo and Cameron and their respective cities and the 21 ------- municipalities of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, and Matamoros in Tamaulipas in Rancho Viejo, Texas in May 2010. Because EPA Region 6 staff was busy responding to the Deepwater Horizon spill, the event was organized by the TCEQ. Participants exchanged information about their capabilities and resources, and began planning a full-scale simulation exercise for early 2011. > Enhancement of capabilities for cooperation between Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila and Del Rio, Texas: Following up on the provision of equipment and training to Acuna responders in 2009 by the partnership between the U.S. Northern Command and EPA/Region 6, in 2010 Acuna began developing a high-flood risk map as well as establishing evacuation and response procedures. Del Rio developed a Hazard Mitigation Plan that establishes procedures to reduce and eliminate long-term risks caused by natural hazards. REGION 9 > Leveraging Resources for Emergency Preparedness and Response and HAZMAT Training: EPA completed all three two-week Hazmat Technician training for first responders from Nogales, Sonora, Mexicali, Baja California and San Luis Rio Colorado. A total of 59 firefighters from these communities were trained. Region 9 also facilitated the purchases and transfer of emergency response equipment for the sister cities in Mexico with funds from NorthComm. > Table Top Exercises for Binational Contingency Plans on Emergency Responses: EPA Region 9 led three table top exercises in 2010: 1) June 2010 Heber, California (Imperial County/Mexicali Binational Contingency Plan) 2) December 2010 San Luis Rio Colorado (SLCR/San Luis Binational Contingency Plan) 3) December 2010 Nogales (Nolagles/Nogales Binational Contingency Plan) Goal 6 - Compliance and Enforcement REGION 6 The Permitting 101 initiative is the result of input by community leaders and colonia residents given during the EPA Region 6 sponsored - Beyond Translation Forum held in Las Cruces > NMED Permitting Workshop: On June 24th 2010, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) hosted a Permitting 101 session in the town of Mesquite, NM. The Permitting 101 initiative is the result of input by community leaders and colonia residents given during the EPA Region 6 sponsored - Beyond Translation Forum held in Las Cruces in November of 2009. Participants at that forum, along with community leaders' input during other public sessions, recommended that NMED provide communities with a better understanding of the permitting process. Twenty community leaders and colonia residents attended the workshop. 22 ------- FIFRA Inspectors Workshop: On February 29, 2011, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Inspectors Workshop took place in Las Cruces, New Mexico: The 2011 FIFRA Inspectors Workshop was hosted by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA).The workshop was planned by the FIFRA Inspectors Workgroup, which has representatives from the five State Lead Agencies in Region 6. REGION 9 £i*nitUd CtnpUyui Tjtn&M > CANACINTRA Autoregulation Project Completed: CANACINTRA completed the Border 2012 funded Autoregulation project. After reaching out to 60 of its members to gauge interest in the program, they identified seven companies that were willing to participate. The companies underwent a basic environmental audit of their facilities, and then participated in various trainings, workshops and physical improvements at their businesses to minimizing the environmental impacts of their manufacturing techniques. The results of these improvements include notable reductions in: solid waste by 485kg, hazardous waste by 735kg, and air emissions by 935kg monthly. Additionally, 1995kg of solid waste and 974,809kg of waste requiring special management under Mexican federal law per month are now being handled properly. Border 2012 Supports Bi-National Alliance to Counter Illegal Dumping; Promote Better Waste Management: Due to rapid population growth at the U.S.-Mexico border, solid waste management and illegal dumping has become an issue of escalating concern. Under the leadership of the Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. of Yuma, Arizona, a partnership of bi-national public, private, state, federal and tribal organizations was created to promote, educate, organize and increase awareness of illegal dumping in Yuma County, Arizona, and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora. With funding from Border 2012, the partnership—known as the International Alliance— conducted a cleanup and awareness program for solid waste management under the logo "No Contamine / Don't Trash La Frontera". Under the program, the Alliance: Recruited 330 volunteers and 31 organizations to participate in trash cleanup events, completed five cleanup campaigns and collected 599 scrap tires and 177 tons of trash, and developed and provided train- the-trainer curriculum for 133 promotoras who educated an estimated 10,000 school- age children from both sides of the border. In addition, as part of an international educational campaign to promote personal responsibility and awareness, the organization developed an international clearinghouse of bilingual information on recycling, environmental stewardship and the prevention of illegal dumping. 23 ------- 24 ------- |