Wastewater treatment plant inaugurated in Matamoros

After nearly six years in the making, Matamoros’ first wastewater treatment plant was inaugurated Tuesday.

The treatment facility, which will clean contaminated water and pump it into the Rio Grande, is the result of a $33 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) donated through the North American Development Bank (NADB), a $10 million loan from the NADB, and $33 million more in funding from the government of Mexico. Though the $76 million facility has been in operation for nearly a year, the inauguration ceremony had been put off several times.

The lineup of speakers at the ceremony demonstrated the binational effort that brought the costly project to fruition: State, local and federal officials from both sides of the border sat in a long line on stage.

"Thanks to tremendous bilateral support and cooperation between the governments of Mexico and the U.S. in addressing environmental issues along our common border, Matamoros is receiving an unprecedented level of funding for wastewater treatment infrastructure," said Jorge C. Garces, CEO of the NADB.

The NADB was set up when the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was ratified. The bank, which funds environmentally friendly infrastructure projects in the border region, supplies loans and serves as the liaison for grants to help governments on both sides of the border improve local conditions.

Despite the heat and humidity, more than a thousand Matamoros residents were bused in from colonias around the city to catch sight of Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez Flores.

Flores made a grand entrance to screaming and chanting from the crowd. He shook hands, was greeted with posters, and was handed notes from people in the crowd.

"We are convinced that the use of water is an imperative theme," Hernandez Flores said. "Here on the border we’re growing very rapidly. The population of Matamoros is expected to double in the next 30 years."

NADB spokesman Juan Antonio Flores said that wastewater treatment could be considered the bank’s flagship project. Though the public, he said, might not feel the immediate effect of treating wastewater, since it is a process that takes place after water has already been used, clean water in the Rio Grande is an issue that affects both countries and will for generations to come.

"Now about 80 percent of wastewater is treated along the border," Flores said. "When we started (giving out NADB loans) it was only about 35 percent."

Hernandez Flores pledged Tuesday that 100 percent of the wastewater along the border would soon be treated.

Flores said that whenever a wastewater treatment program is created, it’s easy to see the increase in the diversity of wildlife that returns to the area.

"In Matamoros we know that we will only have a harmonious future if it’s in balance with our environment," said Matamoros Mayor Erick Silva.