# Required **Investments in Basic Environmental Infrastructure by State and Sector**  **U.S. -** **Mexico Border Region**  

# Border Environment Cooperation Commission **RELEV ANT**  **DA TA** **: INVESTMENT**  **NEEDS FOR**  **BASIC ENVIRONMENT**  **AL INFRASTRUCTURE**  **Population of**  **Mexican border**  **region served**  **by BECC** **:** The 300- Km . region served by BECC within the six Mexican border states has 224 municipalities and a population of 16. 8 million people, based on information from the 2010 Census conducted by Mexico’s National Institute on Statistics and Geography. **Basic Sectors**  **addressed by**  **BECC :**  The BECC has focused on four sectors of Basic Environmental Infrastructure : Potable Water; Wastewater Collection; Wastewater Treatment; and Management of Municipal Solid Waste . **Investment :**  The **investment needs**  **for those**  **four sectors**  **is estimated**  **to be**  **$ 1** **. 468**  **billion :**  Potable Water 13%; Wastewater Collection 17%; Wastewater Treatment 45%; and 25% for Municipal Solid Waste Management.

**$293.10 $228.18**  **$213.31 $290.44**  **$190.86 $252.42**  

### Required Investment by State **(amount**

**and percentage)**

**1.468 billion**  **Baja California**  **Sonora Chihuahua**  **Coahuila Nuevo León**  **Tamaulipas 13%**  **17 % 20 %** 

**16 % 15 %**  **19 % $195.74**  **$252.81 $658.07**  **$361.69** 

### Total Investment needed by Sector Potable water WW Collect. WW Treatm . Solid Waste **13% 17%** 

**45% 25%** 

# Required **Investments in Basic Environmental Infrastructure by State and Sector**  **U.S. -** **Mexico Border Region**  

# Border Environment Cooperation Commission **RELEV ANT**  **DA TA** **: INVESTMENT**  **NEEDS FOR**  **BASIC ENVIRONMENT**  **AL INFRASTRUCTURE**  **Population of**  **US border**  **region served**  **by BECC** **:** The 100- Km . region served by BECC within the four US border states has 36 counties and a population of approximately 7 million people . **Basic Sectors**  **addressed by**  **BECC :**  The US border region needs assessment is focused on defining the lack of access to **centralized water**  **and wastewater**  **services as**  **well as**  **to evaluate**  **service needs**  **in the**  **sectors of**  **solid waste**  **and air**  **quality** within the 100 km border region . While the primary gap in centralized service coverage primarily exists in the rural setting, an investment may likely be required whether connecting to a centralized system or making improvements to address drinking water quality or adequate on-site ww disposal . Therefore, the estimated investment needs are calculated considering the cost to provide centralized service in a rural setting, considering that on-site improvements may reflect similar investment size . The effort utilizes data obtained primarily from public information sources. Highlighted below are the preliminary findings of the task. **General Findings** **:** • Water/Wastewater Access : The **investment needs**  **for addressing**  **the un** **- served**  **households with**  **centralized water**  **and wastewater**  **service is**  **$ 8** **. 46**  **billion .**  Many drinking water systems in the border region do not comply with EPA Primary Drinking Water Quality Standards, especially for Arsenic. In addition, strategies such as regionalization and water/energy efficiency practices are important to promote the effective use of water resources. • Air Quality: While PM 10 may be associated with high-wind events in the area, this condition is also likely influenced by highly traveled unpaved roads in densely populated rural areas. Approximately 18, 500 miles of unpaved roadways exist in this area, representing an investment need of over $7 billion . In addition, counties in New Mexico, Arizona and California have designated as non-attainment or maintenance areas. • Solid Waste : Landfill capacity appears to be sufficient in most counties in the border region . Promotion of recycling, reuse and reduction efforts are important to maintain this condition as well as to achieve benefits associated with these efforts such as GHG reductions and water savings.