Officials in Nogales, Arizona say there is a break in a 24-inch sewer line in Nogales, Sonora, and the sewer overflow is going directly into the Nogales and Tricky washes. International Boundary and Water Commission officials said a construction project and recent monsoon rains caused the sewage problems in Nogales, Sonora that are affecting Nogales, Arizona.
Carlos Peña of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) told the Nogales International that “There’s like a 40-foot section of (24-inch) pipe that was ruptured,” causing the sewage to flow into Arroyo Los Nogales, which becomes Nogales Wash at the border.
Peña told the International that he was advised not only about the Tricky Wash problem but also about a similar situation further east near Cerro Pelon on the United States-Mexico border. Pena said that the most serious breach was created about two miles south of the international line near Cinco De Mayo Street, where road crews are constructing an overpass, according to the International.
Santa Cruz County officials warned parents in the vicinity of Escalada Drive and Hudgins Street to keep their children and pets away from the wash.
The International reports that one resident said the ‘foul-smelling sewer water that streamed past his border front home near the top of Escalada Drive on Thursday afternoon’ and has ‘been coming across for the past two weeks, and getting worse by the day.’
For years, the residents of Nogales, Arizona have expressed grave concern to Congressman Raul Grijalva and Senator John Kyl. According to international businessmen on the border, Kyl tried in vain to get the federal government to live up their responsibility for the line, and failed. While Grijalva told them it was Arizona’s problem and he couldn’t do anything about it. He told them to call Governor Jan Brewer.
During the last election cycle he sent out a press release saying “The fear of a break like this one has existed for a long time, and my office has been closely monitoring the situation for years. I’ve always supported a long-term solution to this very old problem, and hopefully this will bring attention to how seriously we need to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure in Southern Arizona and around the country.”
Nothing happened of significance.
Back in 2010, Hugh Holub, acting utilities director for the City of Nogales said the “line was designed to handle about 9.9 million gallons of sewage per day. On average, between 10 million and 12 million gallons goes through the line daily.”
The leak is being patched and the sewer flow is being contained for now.