Border 2020 Quarterly Newsletter
Region 9
California, Baja California, Arizona and Sonora
Summer-Fall 2013
www. epa. qov/border2 020
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This newsletter provides a summary of past quarter activities
General Updates
EPA and Cal/EPA Border Teams Brief Congressional & State Legislative Staff
On July 301h, the Region 9 Border Team and Cal/EPA briefed Staff from 11 California Federal and State
Congressional/Legislative Offices along the California-Mexico Border, in the EPA San Diego Border Office.
Key briefing items included a brief showing of the Border 2012 accomplishments video, a summary of the new
Border 2020 Program, 2-year action plans, upcoming programmatic priorities, and the Border Request for
Proposal. Cal/EPA, represented by the leadership of the San Diego and Colorado River Water Boards,
presented on current bi-national efforts focused on the New River and Tijuana River watersheds.
The eleven representatives in attendance, included staff from the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein and
Barbara Boxer; Representatives Juan Vargas and Scott Peters; State Assembly Members Brian Jones, Shirley
Weber, Lorena Gonzales, Toni Atkins and State Senators Marty Block, Mark Wyland and Ben Hueso.
Contact: Brent Maier. 415-947-4256
EPA Border Program Engages 11 i IS on Border Environmental Health Efforts
On August 16th, members of the EPA Border Team briefed the new Executive Director of the U.S. Section of
the U.S.-Mexico Bordei Health Commission (USMBHC), Jose Luis Velasco, on the draft Collaborative
agreement between EPA, Border 2020, HHS and the USMBHC to improve the Environment and Public Health
along the U.S. Mexico Border. Key actions within the agreement include intra-agency collaboration during
Binational Border Health week (each October), a State of the Border Environmental Health Report (to
document status and trends), the drafting of a new Healthy Border 2020 Program within the Border Health
Commission (we would help draft the environmental health portion), and the development of a Pediatric
Environmental Health Specialty Unit along the border. Formal announcement of the collaboration will be made
soon. Contact: A.1 heli Banos-.Keener, 619-235-4767
Assistant Administrator (AA) for EPA's Office of
International and Tribal Affairs (Michelle DePass) visits the
Border
AA Michelle DePass (OITA) represented EPA in a "Border
Philanthropic Partnership Convening" on September 25-26,
hosted by the local U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership.
Funders were invited to participate in the Convening as part of the
National Council on Foundations' annual funders meeting which
took place in San Diego earlier that week. The event included
a tour of the U.S.-Mexico Border, and a visit to the Tijuana
Estuary in San Diego followed by a half day panel discussion
focused on fostering philanthropic giving towards border
environmental and public health efforts. National, Regional, and
Former AA DePass and Gonzalo Bravo (BECC), in front of a
Tijuana neighborhood

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local foundations were present for both, the tour and the panel discussions. Michelle DePass recently left EPA
to become the Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at the New
School in New York. Jane Nishida is now the Acting AA. Contact: Tomas Torres. 619-235-4775
Border 2020 Request for Proposals (RFP) Update
The Region 9 RFP for the new Border 2020 Program was released on June 17th, in coordination with Region 6
and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC). The RFP identified priority "project types"
that will help advance the bi-national commitments made in the Border 2020 Program. To further develop
community capacity to compete for these funds, five RFP Workshops were held in California/Baja California
and Arizona/Sonora. 51 Proposals were received in Region 9, seeking over $3.2 million in funding ($lmillion
is available). EPA is working closely with BECC (via our EPA Cooperative Agreement) to identify the most
qualified proposals by early December. Additional consideration is given to proposals that leverage funding,
that demonstrate U.S. side benefits (for projects taking place in Mexico), that account for long term
sustainability beyond the border funding, and that partner with border organizations to build local capacity.
Due to the government shutdown in October, grant selection announcements will be made in December.
Contact: Lorena Lopez-Powers, 619-235-4767.
E-Messages from "US-Mexico Border 2020 Program" through Constant Contact: Electronic
communication is being sent through our new electronic communication provider Constant Contact, updating
subscriber on accomplishments, meetings, and other activities. If you would like to be added to the e-list,
please contact one of the communication team members: Patrick Huber (Office of International and Tribal
Affairs); Maria Sisneros (Region 6); and, Alheli Banos-Keener (Region 9).
Goal Updates
Goal 1 - Reduce Air Pollution
Project Update: Documenting the Economic Costs to Border Human Health from Air Contamination
The Autonomous University of Baia California (UABC) recently completed a Border 2020-funded project that
researched the economic impacts associated with poor air quality along the Baja California Border with the
United States. The report concludes that CO and PM pollution have a measurable impact on human health and
on the economy of border communities. The report provides data on the number of asthma episodes that
translate into lost wages and time lost at work. The report provides that by using statistical methods, it is
possible to estimate these impacts and project the economic impacts to the community if CO and PM pollution
goes unabated for the foreseeable future. It is conversely possible to estimate the beneficial impact on human
health and economic impacts as CO and PM pollution is reduced. The final report is in Spanish and is currently
being translated. Contact: Dave Fege. 619-235-4769.
Goal 2 -1 mprove Access to Clean and Safe Water
Update on Nogales Arizona's Sediment Removal Efforts
In July, the City of Nogales, Sonora, approved funding for the removal of sediment from behind their rock
dams. These flow-detention devices, built in 2009 with support from the Border 2012 program, have proven
highly effective at reducing local flooding and the sanitary sewer overflows that such flooding can cause. The
City's commitment to the continued maintenance of these devices and its interest in constructing more dams
indicate that this demonstration project has been both effective and sustainable. Contact: Doug Li den. 619-235-
4763
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Wastewater Projects Certified in Holtville, CA
On May 9, 2013, the BECC-NADB Board of Directors certified two wastewater projects in Holtville, CA that
will benefit over 6000 residents. These projects will provide service to a small neighborhood with failed on-site
systems and will replace the main transmission pipeline that conveys wastewater from the city to the treatment
plant, thereby eliminating discharges and leaks of inadequately treated sewage. Construction contracts are
already being procured for these projects, which will utilize about $2M in EPA's Border Environment
Infrastructure Funds (BEIF) along with USDA-Rural Development grant and loan funds. Contact: Su Cox.
415-972-3555.
Workshop on Sediment Modeling for the Tijuana Watershed
On June 5th, the San Diego Border Office and the City of San Diego hosted a one-day workshop and webinar on
sediment modeling for the Tijuana Watershed. Over 50 participants from 5 border universities, as well as city,
state, and federal government agencies from both sides of the border convened at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor
Center to learn about EPA's Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) and Border 2020-funded project to
model the sediment runoff in the watershed that could result under various land-use scenarios. Participants also
provided input on their expectations for the modeling effort. Contact: Doug Liden. 619-235-4763
Study Proposes Improvements for the Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Ysidro
In August, 2013, a contractor to the Border Environment Cooperation Committee (BECC), CDM Smith,
completed a study with EPA funds to examine alternatives for reducing the volume of bio-solids produced at
the International Treatment Plant in Sari Ysidro. Due to the recent upgrade of the plant to secondary treatment,
solids have increased by about 30%. The solids produced at the plant are currently only lime-stabilized and sent
back to Mexico (Punta Bandera) in an area that is expected to run out of space within 2 years. The study
proposed an alternative that could reduce the volume of sludge by approximately 35%, while creating natural
gas for vehicles that would equate to 150,000 gallons per year. The study estimated that the capital costs for
such a project would be approximately $52M. Contact: Doug Li den. 619-235-4763
EPA Partners with the San Diego Foundation to repurpose trash in the Tijuana River Valley
In August, the San Diego Foundation and EPA awarded $45,000 to 4Walls
International to construct bi-national park space that uses trash pulled from
the Tijuana River Valley and tributary canyons as building materials. The
re-purposed trash might have otherwise entered the Tijuana River, negatively
impacting the fragile ecosystem of the Tijuana River National Estuarine
Research Reserve in San Diego.
The $25,000 grant from EPA and the $20,000 grant from the San Diego
Foundation will be used by 4Walls and other local U.S. and Mexican Non-
profit organizations for work at both the Los Sauces Park in Tijuana and the
entrance to Border Field State Park in San Diego. Mexico's Environment
Ministry (SEMARNAT) also contributed significant resources to employ
approximately 100 people for 12 weeks through their "Temporary
Employment Program" to clean the park and replace invasive vegetation
with native plants. Contact: Doug Liden. 619-235-4763
Goal 3 -Promoting Materials and Waste Management and Clean Sites
End-of-Life Electronics Best Management Practices Webinar: Consistent
with Border 2020's commitment to develop the U.S.-Mexico border region's
capacity to manage e-waste, on November 5, EPA (Regions 9 and 6) partnered
with BECC to launch the first of several webinars on electronic waste
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Trash-filled bottles will become park
benches

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management. This first webinar was led by Kelley Keogh of Greeneye Partners, to explain the Responsible
Recycling (R2) voluntary certification standard that provides for the safe collection, reuse, dismantling,
recycling and discard of electronic components when they reach their end-of-life. The webinar was designed to
raise awareness about the voluntary e-waste standard so that border stakeholders (business, government,
academia, and the public) can be more knowledgeable about what to look for when engaging recyclers to collect
electronics for reuse or recycling. A link to the webinar video recordings can be found on the Border 2020
webpage, under the Region 9 "past meetings" tab. A second webinar is being planned that will focus on the e-
Stewards certification process. Contact: Emily Hmentel, 415-972-3326
Tijuana Urban Compost Center Promotes Zero Waste Practices:
Tijuana Calidad de Vida (TCV) has processed approximately 110 tons
(of the 150 tons committed in their Border 2020 grant) and hosted one
of two planned "Feria Organica" (green fair). The Green Fair held on
July 6 was attended by approximately 200 people and included 20
vendors promoting green products and educational practices, including
composting of food scraps in the home. A video of the "Feria de
Organicos is available in the attached link (in Spanish only):
http: //www. y outub e. com/watch? v=wb C043 5XaP 8. Contact: Emily
Pimentel. 415-972-3326
A Compost Forum is planned for late November and it will be
sponsored by the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana and the BECC. The forum will provide a venue to discuss technical,
market, economic, and regulatory considerations for advancing composting programs derived from food scraps,
landscape, and agriculture organic material. TCY has developed a Compost Quality Assurance Plan and
Compost Health & Safety Manual to help other municipalities and organizations develop their own urban
compost programs. Contact: Emily Pimentel. 415-972-3326
Update: Arizona Border Trash Mitigation Efforts. The Tohono
O'odham Nation (TON) removed 13 tons of trash and 101 bikes from 109
sites including the Chukut Kuk District, which is one of twelve districts in
the Nation. Chukut Kuk sustains the most impacts due to significant foot
traffic from international crossers and smugglers, as it is the District closest
to the international border. On September 10, Gary Olson of TON attended
the BLM Borderlands Task Force meeting, where he shared problems in
removing the abandoned vehicles due to poor road conditions, worsened by
the monsoon rains. It is now nearly impossible to move heavy equipment in
non-road areas to remove abandoned vehicles and thus their removal has
been placed on hold. Mr. Olson continues to work with Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to enter
cleanup data on ADEQ's Border Trash website. The website
has made reporting more uniform and accessible to
government agencies and the public. Contact: Emily
Pimentel. 415-972-3326.
Tecate Community Makes Big Leap in Materials
Management Goal. Through a Border 2012-funded project,
Fundacion la Puerta, a community non-profit organization in
Tecate, Baja California in association with "Comite Mujeres
Lluvia del Sur" have completed a landmark effort to promote
practices for more sustainable communities. Their efforts
included recycling plastics, paper, and recovering organics to
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Compost piles
Abandoned trash
The community garden intheColonia LuisDonado
Colosio

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produce compost, establish a community garden, and build institutional capacity to sustain future efforts. Visit
the Border 2020 webpage for a fact sheet on this project. Contact: Emily Pimentel. 415-972-3326
Building Local Capacity to Manage Solid Waste in Tijuana
Through a Border 2012 grant, two non-profit organizations,
Wild coast (San Diego) and ECOCE (a Mexican non-profit plastics
recycling organization) partnered with three elementary schools in
the Los Laureles Community of Tijuana (adjacent to the U.S.-
Mexico Border) to educate over 780 elementary school children, 78
teachers, and school administrators on the importance of recycling in
schools and at home to prevent plastics from becoming trash that
eventually flows into the Tijuana River Estuary in San Diego.
Children were encouraged to create and/or join environmental clubs
and were trained on repurposing materials such as plastic. Together,
the school community collected 11 supersacs of plastic bottles
equivalent to 99 square feet of plastic. Contact: Emily Pimentel,
415-972-3326
Goal 4 - Emergency Preparedness and Response
EPA and NorthCom sign MOU to support Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Border Region
In May, EPA and the Department of Defense's Northern Command (NorthCom) signed a new Memorandum of
Understanding to support cooperation on emergency response capacity building along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The new MOU will allow the two agencies to collaborate on mutually beneficial projects such as knowledge
exchange events, table top exercises, hazmat training, and providing emergency response equipment to Mexican
emergency responders. The new MOU will be in effect until May, 2018. Contact: Li da Tan. 415-972-3018
Bi-national Emergency Response Exercises Commemorate PROFEPA's 20th Anniversary
On July 12, 2003, six bi-national sister cities conducted emergency response exercises as part of The Federal
Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) 20th anniversary celebration. All six bi-national sister city
contingency plans were activated during the exercises. The National EPA-Mexico Joint Contingency Plan was
activated at the Tijuana/San Diego exercise. EPA Region 9 (Kay Lawrence) and EPA Region 6 (Brandi Todd)
participated in the Tijuana/San Diego exercise and the pre-exercise training on July 10 to brief the participants
on the Joint Contingency Plan activation procedures. EPA's Washington and San Francisco Emergency
Operations Centers received notifications during the exercise. Contact: Li da Tan. 415-972-3018
Emergency Response Training put to the Test during
Sulfuric Acid Train Derailment
On August 6, a northbound train containing twelve sulfuric
acid tank cars was derailed between Cananea and Naco,
Sonora, Mexico, 32 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
A collapsed wood bridge caused the derailment. Four cars
ruptured, two of which emptied their entire cargo totaling
90,000 liters of sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid traveled
approximately 800 meters. The total amount of sulfuric acid
leaked is estimated at 120,000 liters. There were no injuries
or deaths from the incident. The Border 2020 Emergency
Response Task Force will facilitate a meeting in the near
future to discuss the incident and lessons learned. Contact:
Lida Tan. 415-972-3018
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Presentation at an Elementary School
Train cars spilled 120, 000 liters of sulfuric acid along the U.S.-
Mexico Border

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Goal 5 - Enhance Compliance Assurance and Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Workshop: On June
13 and 14 the Border 2020 Program sponsored an Environmental
Compliance & Enforcement Workshop in San Diego, CA. The goal of
the two-day workshop was to strengthen communication and
information sharing, build capacity of enforcement professionals, and
define compliance and enforcement priorities relevant to the new
Border 2020 Program. The 2-day workshop included one day of
expert presentations (which were also delivered by webinar in English
and Spanish), followed by a second day of interactive dialogue
amongst participants who attended in person. The Border Program
Participants of the enforcement	made an extra effort to provide the proceedings via webinar to reduce
costs associated with travel and to increase access to participants who
could not travel to San Diego. Participants represented twenty-nine US agencies from county, state, and federal
governments; two tribal nations; six Mexican agencies from state and federal governments; and three Canadian
agencies. There were also eighteen webinar participants; including two from Mexico and one from Canada.
The presentations have been posted on Region 9 EPA's Border 2020 website.
EPA and SEMARNAT made commitments to review and follow-up with participants on proposed action items.
A summary of the workshop was prepared and circulated, which included a contact list of attendees and a draft
of the existing county, state, and federal information and database sources developed as part of the workshop
exercises. Contacts: Emily Pimentel. 415-972-3326. Joel Jones. 415-972-3449 or Ivan Lieben at 415-972-3914
Environmental Health
EPA Participates in U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission Drafting
Committee
Consistent with Border 2020's commitment to leverage and collaborate
with HITS's U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC) on
common goals, on September 23-24, Region 9 Border Staff participated in
a bi-national Technical Workgroup to help draft the BHC's Healthy Border
2020 Program, which will guide Border Health efforts for the next eight
years. With assistance from the Region 9 EPA Children's Health and the
Air Toxics Offices, EPA submitted draft language for their consideration.
Contact: Tomas Torres. 619-235-4775
EPA Border Program Promotes Children's Environmental Health at	Asthma Forum student participant
Imperial Valley Asthma Forum	presents to the judges and audience
Consistent with binational efforts to improve children's environmental
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Valley Fever Concerns for the Imperial Valley Environmental Justice and Enforcement (EJ) Task Force
Based on concerns raised at the monthly EJ task force meetings regarding Vallev Fever, (a respiratory fungal
infection caused by naturally occurring spores found in desert soil), Region 9 Border Staff engaged with
several experts and agencies and facilitated bringing Orion McCotter, of the Arizona Department of Health
Services to present a very thorough overview of Valley Fever and answered questions from the EJ Task Force
during the June meeting. In addition, Paula Kriner, Epidemiology Division Manager with the Imperial County
Public Health Department sent staff to the meeting to share information on
the extensive work Imperial County is doing on the subject. Contact:
Alheli Banos-Keener, 619-235-4767	f

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health along the border, and in concert with Children's Health Month and Border Binational Health Week, the
EPA Border Team participated in the third annual Stop and Listen Asthma Forum in El Centro, California on
October 30. Region 9 Border Staff, in partnership with the Imperial Valley Child Asthma Program and the
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, helped plan the event to highlight the severe asthma issues that
plague Imperial County and to identify solutions to mutually explore and address. EPA provided opening
remarks and listened to presentations by local high school students focused on asthma and the health impacts
of border air quality on the community. A panel of judges evaluated the presentations and awarded prizes,
which were provided by the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District. Contact: Alheli Bafios-Keener.
619-235-4767
Border Program Supports 5* Annual Imperial Valley
Environmental Health Leadership Summit
Consistent with the Region 9 Federal Regional Council
(Border Committee) focus on improving environmental and
children's health in the Imperial Valley, Region 9 Border
Office staff attended the Imperial Valley Environmental Health
Leadership Summit in El Centro, CA on Saturday November
1st. The Summit focused on air quality health impacts related
to the International Ports of Entry, impacts from significant
renewable energy development in Imperial Valley, and issues
related to the receding Salton Sea shoreline. The keynote
speaker was former Region 9 Administrator Felicia Marcus,
now Chair of the State Water Resources Board. Arsenio
Mataka, Assistant Secretary for EJ and Tribal Affairs with Cal/EPA was also on the agenda. Key breakout
sessions included: an overview of the renewable energy plan for the Salton Sea, presented by the Imperial
Irrigation District: and a Border Air Quality Panel Discussion, including Jenny Quintana, PhD from San Diego
State University who recently released a white paper on her research on the Health Impacts due to traffic at the
San Ysidro Port of Entry. Contacts: Dave Fege. 619-235-4769 and Alheli Banos-Keener. 619-235-4767
Project Completed: Transitioning to Reduced-Risk Cotton Pest Management Practices in the Mexicali
Region
As part of a Border 2012-funded project, the University of Arizona Pest Management Center (AZPMC) has
been working in Mexicali, Baja California to implement reduced-risk approaches to pest management in cotton.
AZMPC is using an 1PM (integrated pest management) model that has been successfully deployed throughout
Arizona to reduce the amount of broadly toxic pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates and endosulfan that
are used to produce cotton in this area of the border. The AZPMC has provided technical assistance to Mexican
growers on specific pest management issues that they face and obtained data from what is considered one of the
largest cotton grower cooperatives of the region. AZPMC is digitizing over 1100 individual field records
showing pesticide prescriptions and other field records for that large cooperative. Once the full data set is
complete, the goal will be to characterize pest management practices prior to, during, and after educational
programming (intervention) there. Registrants in Mexico are also responding by bringing more modern
chemistries forward and adjusting pricing to make them more accessible to the northern Mexican cotton market.
Contact: Mary Grisier. 415-947-4213
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Picture from Imperial Valley Press news article on the event

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