EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The city of Sunland Park was awarded a $350,000 Technical Assistance grant from the North American Development Bank for a planning and engineering a cross-border water study.
City officials said the project will create and analyze options to address cross-border stormwater runoff and wastewater contamination flows originating in the Anapra region of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and entering Sunland Park.
The grant, backed by a ten percent city match of $35,000, is a required step to prepare the project for future construction funding opportunities.
By completing the certified engineering analysis and hydrologic modeling, Sunland Park establishes the data and technical framework that is needed to compete for future funding.
The International Boundary and Water Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Union Pacific Railroad, the City of El Paso, Doña Ana County, El Paso County, and Mexican agencies and utilities are participating in a regional coordination effort to assist in the water flow across the border.
The organizations will ensure the technical analysis reflects binational drainage interactions and infrastructure constraints in the area.
City officials stated that the goal is to protect public health and the Rio Grande watershed. The study will evaluate existing water quality conditions, identify contaminants of concern, and target sources of untreated wastewater discharges before they affect communities.
Results from the project will provide a strategy and schedule to improve drainage and reduce flooding, as well as provide cost estimates.
The grant is dedicated to technical analysis, data collection, and preliminary engineering design, officials said. Regular city public works maintenance and emergency storm responses will continue full operations during the study.
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