Frontera NorteSur October 2000

The El Paso Times reports that Hector Villa III, former director of the El Paso, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission office, was indicted on 48 counts for allegedly facilitating the dumping of hundreds of thousands of gallons of animal bone, hair, manure and other waste into a New Mexico irrigation ditch.  The 48 counts are related to violations against the Water Quality Act in the Las Cruces District Court. It is believed that near 70 tanks of illegal waste were dumped into the irrigation ditch between 1998 and 1999.

The indictments come after a multi-agency investigation was triggered when New Mexico State Police officers saw a Valley By-Products 7,800 gallon tanker cross the Texas-New Mexico Border and dump its contents into the irrigation ditch on July 20, 1999.

The dumping allegedly took place in 1998 and 1999 at two sites just  north of the Texas-New Mexico border between Anthony and Berino, NM.  Investigators estimate that 70 tank-truck loads and 265,647 gallons of rendering plant waste were dumped into the Elephant Butte Irrigation Ditch and an undisclosed landfill.

"The defendants' actions were intolerable and a danger to public health. ...I hope that this case will deliver a wake-up call  to any who endangers the health of New Mexicans with illegal dumping." said New Mexico Attorney General Patricia A. Madrid.  Dumping into an irrigation system can lead to bacterial contamination of both human and animal life.  However, no illnesses have been reported as a result of the dumping.

Source: El Paso Times, September 8, 2000. Article by Jennifer Shubinski.


Water Shortage Puts Plants' Productivity At Risk

Matamoros maquiladoras are losing millions and have been forced to partially shutdown operations as a result of the low water levels in city wells. Carlos Reyes García, president of Matamoros Business Center (Centro Empresarial De Matamoros, CEM) stated that companies have had to acquire needed water from other sources, increasing their costs of production. As on much of the US-Mexico border it is worried that water supply will be the limiting factor in industrial and job growth.
 
The Matamoros Association of Maquiladoras (Asociación de Maquiladoras de Matamoros, AMAC) added that in October a water commission meeting will be held where agencies will analyze the water supply problem's effects on industry.  Roberto Mattus Rivera, director of AMAC, did not discard the temporary shutdown of some companies if the problem becomes more critical.  He added that there are a few companies that could experience serious problems but stated that others have on-site water treatment plants that would allow the companies to recycle water and keep production afloat.

Source: El Mañana, September 19, 2000. Article by Mauro L. De la Fuente Loayzat.

Canaco:  Businesses Will Close as Water Becomes Scarce

Jorge Almanza Armas, President of the Matamoros Chamber of Commerce (Cámara Nacional de Comercio, Canaco) reported that the low volume of water in the city's water wells "La Amistad" and "Falcon" could greatly affect the local economy.

In an interview Almanza stated that many local businesses such as laundromats, car washes, dry cleaners, and restaurants would all be affected if water levels remain low.  He added that the loss to the local economy could reach millions of pesos.

Almanza went on to say that the Matamoros Water and Sewage Department (Junta de Aguas y Drenaje, JAD) needs to find a solution to water supply problems as soon as possible.

"We have insisted many times that it is necessary to find other sources of water like creating a dam along the Río Bravo that would allow us to store water," said Almanza.  Canaco stated that building a dam is feasible but added that JAD needs support to begin the project.

Source: El Mañana, September 18, 2000.  Article by Mauro L. de la Fuente Loayzat.

BC Expected to be Declared Disaster Area Due to Drought

Baja California could receive extra federal funds if declared a disaster area due to drought.  Genaro López Bojórquez, of the Department of Agriculture, stated that Governor Alejandro González Alcocer has already presented a solicitation for Baja California to be declared a disaster area.

The petition was made after more than five years of drought in the northwest of the country.  López emphasized that the state currently meets all requirements to be declared a disaster area. He cited meteorological weather patterns as the cause of droughts. 

López stated that the funds will aid cattle ranchers on the coast who have faced loss of cattle due to the severe climate.  He added that with state and federal funds it will be possible to save the cattle industry.  An official ruling on the matter is expected soon.

Troubled Méxicali Water Project

Construction work on the Río Nuevo project has come under fire recently.  José Luis Ríos, president of the Civil Engineers College (Colegio de Ingenieros Civiles) attended the monthly Economic Development Council (Consejo de Desarrollo Económico)  and said that instead of a project Río Negro was more of an obstruction.  Rios stated that negligence on the project could cause Méxicali citizens many problems with serious consequences, as occurred with similar projects in Monterrey and Acapulco.

Ríos stated that irregularities in the project were detected and reported as early as 1997 and even in the project's bidding stage. Among other things, the project's infrastructure was not designed to meet the city's needs over a long period of time.  Likewise, no one understands what the area's growth will be like and how that will affect the project.  Also, there are mistakes in pipe connections because some phases of the project were started at the same time in different areas. 

Among the proposed solutions to these problems is a new plan with an emphasis on channeling the Río Nuevo. A hydrological study is in order and repairs should be made to existing work. This should be done in collaboration with university architects, civil engineers, and the UABC to make sure the project is handled correctly

Ríos told La Crónica, "After trying many times to get an audience with Governor Alejandro González Alcocer, the only thing he did was listen to us.  There was no reaction on his part.  We feel that neither he nor Hector Terán have been informed about the risks that could arise in the future."

Source La Crónica, Saturday, August 19, 2000 By Roberto Valero.

Salt Works to Expand after Laguna de San Ignacio Was Stopped

Méxicali's La Crónica reports that the Mexican-Japanese company Exportadora de Sal S.A.--the company that was behind attempts to open a salt evaporation facility in the Laguna de San Ignacio where gray whales breed--has announced that it will increase its salt production from 7 million tons a year to 9 million tons in the Guerrero Negro lagoon. According to technical director Joaquin Ardura, the company has decided to continue its expansion and investment project. The increase in salt production will occur over a five-year period he said.

Over the past twenty years the company has been growing at a 3% annual rate. Its immediate plans are to construct a new ship loader that will increase capacity from five to nine tons. Towards this end marine barges with 120 ton capacities were previously constructed. They are towed in groups of three to the Isla de Cedros off the Baja's western coast. At the island, boats of up to 160,000 tons in capacity are loaded for Japan.

The salt evaporation facility at Guerrero Negro is the largest in the world and is the Pacific Rim's salt leader according to Ardura. It competes with four similar facilities in Australia and another which just opened this year. Its market is Japan, Korea, the US, Canada, Taiwan, New Zealand and some countries in Central America. Its sales are approximately US$80 million a year with profits between US$5-10 million.

Ardura said that there were non-environmental interests against the Laguna de San Ignacio project because salt evaporation facilities would not hurt the environment but rather would benefit it. He stated that habitat for birds and other flora and fauna would have been created by the salt works although he made no mention of threates to whales or the loud machinery which some feared would disturb the calving grounds.

Source: La Crónica, August 31, 2000. Article by Arturo López.

Méxicali Environmental Projects

Adriana Alvarez, an investigator at Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Colef), stated that Méxicali lacks long-term environmental projects and that integrated solutions for communication problems between government and non-governmental entities must be found. She and other environmentalists said that although city government has good environmental projects, they take back seat to economic and industrial development. Alvarez added, "Giving priority to economic development without thought to the environment could have negative consequences."

Since 1999 there have been three main environmental projects in Méxicali that have yet to be finished. One unfinished project is the task of locating and cleaning up of contaminated soil in the city. While the rate of work increased 50% since June, 2000, the inventory of contaminated ground has yet to be finished.

Another project waiting completion is the city's environmental plan. The plan will help guide Méxicali in the creation of politics of environmental protection.

The other unfinished environmental project is the transfer of a network of environmental monitoring stations to the city from the US EPA and Mexico's environmental department SEMARNAP. The city cannot take over the monitoring of the stations because its employees lack the necessary skills.

Source: La Crónica, September 6, 2000. Article by César Angulo.