Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Region6 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200 Dallas, TX 75202-2733 2 9 JUL 2016 I?INDING OJ? NO SIGNII?ICANT IMPACT TO ALL INTERESTED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PUBLIC GROUPS: In accordance with the environmental review guidelines of the Council on Environmental Quality found at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1500, and with the use of the implementing environmental review procedures of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found at 40 CFR Part 6 entitled "Procedures for Implementing the Requirenwnts of the Council on Environmental Quality on the National Environmental Policy Act" as guidance, the EPA has performed an environmental review of the following proposed action: Wastewater Collection and Treatment Project Proposed by the Comision Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado del Municipo de Guerrero, Tamaulipas For BECC Activities Located in Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico Estimated EPA Share: $700,000 us Estimated Local Funding: $2,228,900 us The Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADB) are charged with the identification, development, certification, and funding of water, wastewater, and other environmental infrastructure projects within 62 miles on the US side of the US-Mexico border and within 186 miles on the Mexican side. The Comisi6n Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantrillado de! Municipio de Guerrero (CO MAP A) intends to seek funding from BECC, which would make them eligible for funding from the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) administered by NADB, to support their application for BECC certification for rehabilitation of existing sewer collector lines, building new sewer lines, a lift station, and a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for Nueva Ciudad, Guerrero, Tamaulipas. The area currently has a poorly functioning wastewater collection system covering only 92.9% of homes as well as a nonfunctioning wastewater treatment system. The lack of a WWTP results in severe public health concerns and water contamination due to discharge of untreated sewage to open waterways. The absence of a waste water collection system in parts of the city has led to the necessary use of latrines and septic systems, all on inadequately sized plots of land, and leads to a high risk of groundwater contamination. Furthermore, the inadequate wastewater collection system cannot deliver all of the wastewater to the wastewater treatment system due to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of maintenance. Re: FNSI for Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico The existing wastewater collection and treatment systems are in poor condition which leads to an extensive threat to public health and safoty. The collection system covers only 92.9% of the city, I, 100 homes out of 1,182 total homes, and consists of a combination of concrete and PVC pipes of 8-24 inches in diameter. Though the PVC pipes were installed to replace some of the concrete pipes, 72% of the existing pipes, or 86,165 ft, consists of the deteriorating concrete pipes, in poor condition due to old age and corrosion. The two existing lift stations are functioning though the north lift station is missing a pump and in need of structural fortification. The existing wastewater treatment system consists of an Imhoff tank in the southem area of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, however it is nonfunctioning though water runs through it, and not all collected wastewater is transported through it. At three separate locations, collected wastewater passes under Mexican Federal Highway 2, running along the southern border ofNueva Ciudad GuerrerQ, one coming straight from the Imhoff tank. All three of these wastewater collections are discharged to surface level and into dry creek beds, which lead into another, larger creek called the Arroyo el Coronel which consists mostly of wastewater from Nueva Ciudad Guerrero. Downstream, Arroyo de! Coronel runs into the Rio Grande. The proposed action would build a new WWTP and improve on the existing collection system. CO MAP A purchased 62 acres of previously disturbed land on which to build the new WWTP, though only about 6.7 acres of it will be cleared and grubbed for the purpose of building the WWTP. Under the proposed action, the WWTP would be comprised of a manual coarse screen leading to a series of three lagoons, and anaerobic lagoon followed by a facultative and then maturation lagoons, which would cover about 2.5 acres of the cleared land. Every ten years, the sludge from the anaerobic and facultative lagoons would be cleared using heavy machinery, dried in a side sludge drying bed of approximately 2, I 00 ft2, and would be disposed of according the applicable local rules and regulations. The treated wastewater effluent generated by this WWTP would comply with Mexican regulation NOM-001 SEMARNAT-1996 and would be discharged through a 1,150 ft discharge pipeline into the Arroyo el Coronel, flowing into the Rio Grande approximately 3.5 miles downstream. Building of new wastewater collectors and the rehabilitation and replacement of the existing collectors would include 14,300 ft of new PVC pipes, 8 to 24 inches in diameter, the replacement of 86,300 ft of existing sewer lines, and 2,350 ft of an 8 inch new force main. One new lift station will be built on previously disturbed land along the Mexican Federal Highway 2, and the existing north lift station will receive structural fortification and a new pump. All collected wastewater will flow to the WWTP, eliminating the existing three discharges of untreated wastewater to surface level, as mentioned above. The Comision Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de! Municipo de Guerrero, Tamaulipas, has submitted an application under the EPA prioritization process to the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) for certification of the project. After the project application was reviewed and ranked by the BECC with EPA assistance, the applicant was selected to receive fonding from the EPA Project Development Assistance Program administered by BECC. Upon certification, the project will receive Border Environment Infrastructure Fund 2 Re: FNSI for Nucva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico (BEIF) assistance administered by the North American Development Bank (NADB). Both the BECC and the NADB are bi-national sister organizations created by the governments of the United States and Mexico to improve the environmental conditions in and along the United States/Mexico border region. The applicant will utilize the BEIF funding support to finance the proposed construction project. The improvements should continue to protect the health and welfare ofthe citizens living in the immediate vicinity. The environmental review process, which is documented by the enclosed Environmental Assessment, indicates that no potential significant adverse environmental impacts are anticipated from the proposed action. The project individually, cumulatively over time, or in conjunction with other actions is not expected to have a significant adverse effect on the quality ofthe environment. On that basis, I have determined that the project is not a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, and that preparation ofan Environmental Impact Statement is not necessary. My preliminary decision is based upon the enclosed Environmental Assessment, a careful review ofthe Environmental Information Document prepared for the project, the results of the public participation process, and other supporting data which are on file in the office listed below and available for public review upon request. Therefore, I am issuing this preliminary Finding ofNo Significant Impact pertaining to the project. Comments regarding my preliminary decision may be submitted for consideration to the attention ofthe Special Projects Section (6EN-WS), Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733. After evaluating any comments received, the EPA will make a final decision. No administrative action will be taken on this preliminary decision for at least 30 calendar days after release of this Finding ofNo Significant Impact. The preliminary decision and :finding will then become final after the 30-day comment period expires if no new significant information is provided to alter this finding. Responsible Official, ~/~a.; ~~ Director ,;,; Compliance ~ surance and Enforcement Division Enclosure cc: C. Jorge Lorenzo Wllasenor Gonzalez, General Manager Comisi6n Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantrillado del Municipio de Guerrero 3 Re: FNSI for Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico Renata Manning, Director of Projects Border Environment Cooperation Commission Jeff Walker, Executive Administrator Texas Water Development Board 4 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WASTEWATER COLLECTION AND TREATMENT PRO,JECT Proposed by the BORDER ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION COMMISSION On Behalf of the NUEVA CIUDAD GUERRERO, TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO BACKGROUND The Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADB) are charged with the identification, development, certification, and funding of water, wastewater, and other environmental infrastructure projects within 62 miles on the US side of the US/Mexico border and within 186 miles on the Mexican side. The Comisi6n Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantrillado del Municipio de Guerrero (CO MAP A) intends to seek funding from BECC which would make them eligible for funding from the Border Environment