NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — Nogales now has a target date set for the completion of its sewer pipeline rehabilitation project: Fall 2024.
The pipeline, known as the International Outfall Interceptor (IOI), runs a length of 9.9 miles from the border to the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rio Rico. It carries wastewater from Nogales and Rio Rico, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora.
The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (USIBWC) has awarded SAK Construction, the $15.3 million contract to see the project through to completion.
SAK recently completed Phase 1 of the pipeline project and is set to complete phases 2 and 3 this fall.
The half-century old IOI is a piece of crumbling infrastructure that has been problematic for Nogales for a number of years now.
In an interview with KGUN 9 in 2021, Mayor Arturo Garino called the project's approach, which is to re-line the current pipe, not enough.
“That line needs to be removed out of the wash, put on Morley Avenue, and put a bigger diameter on the pipe," Mayor Garino told KGUN9 in 2021. "If it’s not fixed now, then it’s going to be left for the next generation.”
Garino said wastewater flowing through the pipe was a higher volume than the pipe's capacity, and monsoon makes it worse.
“During the monsoon season you get stones going in there, wood going under, and sometimes even drugs going through there,” Garino said in a previous interview.
This summer's storms brought a high volume of water that resulted in a high volume of flow and flooding on the streets.
According to USIBWC, SAK is using new technology that does not require excavation of the IOI, and should reduce traffic disruptions. With the Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) technology SAK is using, a liner is inserted into the existing pipeline, before it is cured to form a solid pipeline inside the old one.
“We’re making very good progress on this pipeline project. The risk of a wastewater spill has already been reduced with the work that’s been completed to date. We’re working expeditiously with our contractor to complete the rest of the project,” said U.S. Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner.
The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (USIBWC) is among agencies funding for the project. The Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, the State of Arizona, and Freeport McMoRan Foundation are also providing supplemental funds.
The USIBWC will hold a virtual public meeting of its Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum, during which time it will provide a project overview.
- October 13, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. MST.
- Meeting details available online
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
