BECC presents Water and Wastewater Master Plan to Matamoros Mayor

Maria Elena Giner, along with Project Manager Carlos Acevedo and NADB officials Bernardo Salas and Martin Rodriguez, said “this type of Master Plans include guidelines for water utilities to follow.” She underscored that this submission is greatly relevant, as the document was developed under the administration of a Mayor who was at one point the General Manager of the water utility and is very sensitive to the issues included in the long-term plan proposed for the city. The Mayor was accompanied by JAD administrators, the Secretaries of Public Works and Urban Development, and Municipal Planning Institute (IMPLAN) officials.

The binational official emphasized the significance of the work developed by the BECC and NADB under a scheme that focuses on “supporting water utilities with initiatives such as these Master Plans, which are essential tools to address infrastructure development needs in the face of population growth.”

Before reviewing the outcome of the Master Plan, attendees were shown the results of an energy audit developed at JAD that resulted in various recommendations –some of which are already being implemented– including a switch to lower rate schedules, improvements to the pumping systems, replacement of electromechanical equipment, and overall improvements to electrical installations with short payback periods. BECC reported that final designs worth an estimated $2 million pesos have already been developed.

According to the Master Plan document, JAD has great potential for implementing actions that will enhance the system´s operation by improving energy efficiency, physical and hydraulic efficiencies, and strengthening its billing and collection practices. This will be particularly effective because JAD has a large number of residential connections under a fixed rate schedule, 42.8% of the water the utility provides is unmetered, and its overall efficiency is only 30%. The recommended investments and actions will help increase physical efficiency by 10% and commercial efficiency by 15%.

The Plan´s priority recommendations for a 20-year planning period have an estimated cost of $2.9 billion pesos and include improving the water pumping system, implementing water system looping, increasing gravity water conveyance by using elevated tanks, installing 550 kilometers of pipeline, and building two water treatment plants. In the area of wastewater collection and treatment, recommendations include replacing collectors and increasing wastewater collection and treatment coverage with a new wastewater treatment plant and 325 kilometers of new wastewater collection lines.