'
U.S.-Mexico Environmental Border Program
BORDER PROGRESS REPORT
May 2011
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'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
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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.
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> 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
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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.
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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
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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.
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> 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.
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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.
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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.
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> 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.
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> 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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> 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.
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