The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has finally decided to devote new resources to address the deterioration of the International Outfall Interceptor (IOI) pipeline. For years, the line has posed significant health and safety threats to the residents of Nogales, Arizona.
Nogales area residents have complained that their representative, Raul Grijalva, ignored the problem, while they lived under the threat that the pipeline, which carries over 10 million gallons of raw sewage per day from Mexico to the United States, would erode.
The pipeline that carries the water for treatment under an international treaty is the responsibility of the IBWC.
According to Senator John McCain’s office, a full breach of the sewage line has been posing a catastrophic threat to the public health and safety of Nogales residents and businesses.
“The City of Nogales simply cannot be expected to bear the burden of what is largely a federal treaty obligation with Mexico. We are encouraged that IBWC is becoming more forthcoming in their responsibility to eventually rehabilitate the sewer line,” said McCain in a statement released this week.
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has responsibility for applying the boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico and settling differences that may arise in their application. The IBWC, established in 1889, is an international body composed of the United States Section and the Mexican Section, each headed by an Engineer-Commissioner appointed by his/her respective president. Each Section is administered independently of the other.
The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) is a federal government agency and is headquartered in El Paso, Texas. The IBWC operates under the foreign policy guidance of the Department of State. The Mexican Section is under the administrative supervision of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is headquartered in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.