Ambos Nogales residents can see cleaner, odor-free water in the Santa Cruz River, thanks to an investment of $65 million in the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant. Upgrades to the plant, completed ahead of schedule and under budget, was a joint effort that improved the environment and economy of Ambos Nogales. “It is a huge project that will not only benefit the City of Nogales, but our sister city of Nogales, Sonora,” Nogales Mayor Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel said at the Tuesday grand opening ceremony.

Wastewater treatment plant is $65 million project

It is the largest international project along the Arizona border to date, according to John Light, operations manager for the International Boundary and Water Commission (IWBC). “I think this is a great benefit for the community. The water quality has greatly increased. It was a community effort, from the local, state and county level. This is something where your average citizen can see their tax dollars at work.

“They can see an immediate effect in the river, from the previous water quality to the current water quality,” Light said. “Now, we’re treating to advanced quality. We have very little ammonia �- very little nitrogen going into the river. The fish can re-populate the river. Esthetically, the water is clear. The water doesn’t have any odor to it.”

No change

The public won’t see a change in their homes, Light said, but they will see a change recreationally. “If they want to go down to the riparian zones, they won’t be driven off by the odor or the way the water looks. It will look like normal creek water. The benefit the United States receives is that water recharges our aquifer.”

The Nogales International l Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed in 1940, and has been expanded twice to handle more capacity. The current project began in July, 2006, with the appointment of Faithful and Gould as the Owners Representative and Construction Manager. PCL Construction Inc. was appointed the general contractor for the project.

Construction took just over two years, John Earl, Faithful+Gould project manager said. “We actually finished three or four months ahead of schedule and we also finished within the project budget.” Construction finished about $300,000 under budget, Earl said.

In addition to the environmental improvements, the project affected the local economy, said Mike McKinney, PCL operations manager. “We had about 50 of our own staff and another 50 subcontractors. The majority of the force was local. I think it had a great economic impact on the local community as far as resources that were supplied to us �“ workers, materials, everything you can think of. All the concrete was produced locally, very close to project. A lot of the other construction materials were supplied locally.”

About 65 percent of the workers were local and expenditures for concrete ran in the high six-figure bracket.

Big achievement

The project was a big achievement, McKinney said. “I think it was a great success for everybody. The entire team came together and worked very well together on a very challenging project. To bring the project under budget and ahead of schedule is a testament to the entire team �“ from Nogales, the EPA, ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) and our entire design and construction team.”

Earl explained the treatment process. “The facility takes effluent, or sewage, which is generated in Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Ariz. It enters into the works here and goes through some preliminary treatment at the headworks, which takes out grit and stuff like that. Then, it enters into the basins here, which initiates a biological process which actually cleans the sewage and turns it from raw sewage into treated sewage. Then it works its way to the bottom where it is discharged into the Santa Cruz.”

The method of treatment is the Modified Ludzak-Ettinger two-step process. The process meets all state and federal environmental guidelines for re-use, Earl said.

The plant processes about 14.7 million gallons of wastewater each day, which goes into the Santa Cruz River and the local aquifer. Just under 10 million gallons of that comes from Nogales, Sonora, and the remaining 4.84 million gallons flows from north of the border.

Earl used two pickle jars full of before and after water samples to illustrate the change in quality. The before sample resembled the greenish pickle juice that originally came in the jar; and the after sample was clean and clear.

Funds for the project were allocated from the Border and Environmental Infrastructure Fund, the City of Nogales (Arizona) and the Environmental Protection Agency. Funds were administered by the North American Development Bank.

Big bucks

The City of Nogales, Ariz., allocated $2.5 million to make the project happen. It was money well spent, Von Borstel said. “Capacity is 1.47 million gallons of water a day, so it certainly has a huge impact on our community and will be very positive. I think it’s essential that this plant complies with environmental quality standards.”

The IWBC is responsible for the daily operation of the plant, which is off East Frontage Road in Rio Rico. A staff of 10 to 12 personnel, mostly specialized mechanics and electricians, will operate the plant on a daily basis, IBWC Commissioner C.W. “Bill” Ruth said. “It’s a joyous occasion to see this plant coming on line.”

The plant gives a boost to the local environment, Ruth said. “I have been associated with the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant for a number of years, and I think this is a great day for Nogales, Sonora. and Nogales, Ariz.”

It was an international success, Von Borstel said. “This is truly an international achievement. It will serve people on both sides of the border. This is another example of what we can accomplish together. So many different agencies came together to address the critical needs of our region and to make sure the project became a reality.”