Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico discharging untreated sewer water into Rio Grande River
By: Jose G. Landa
Eagle Pass Business Journal©
The City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico municipal sewer treatment plant is discharging untreated raw sewer water into the Rio Grande River for the past three months because its plant broke down and the municipality does not have funds to repair the sewer plant, contaminating the Rio Grande River for downstream users from Piedras Negras, Coahuila to Matamoros, Tamaulipas on the Texas-Mexico border.
The Piedras Negras, Coahuila municipal sewer plant is discharging its untreated raw sewer water into the Escondido River (Rio Escondido), a direct water tributary of the Rio Grande River, in southern Piedras Negras, Coahuila, directly across Eagle Pass, Texas on the Texas-Mexico border. The Escondido River (Rio Escondido) discharges into the majestic Rio Grande south and downstream of both the Piedras Negras, Coahuila and City of Eagle Pass, Texas municipal potable water treatment plants located north of the twin cities on the Texas-Mexico border thereby not affecting their potable water.
The City of Laredo, Texas and its sister Mexican city, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and all Texas-Mexico border cities downstream of Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass are being affected with the City of Piedras Negras municipal sewer treatment plant discharge of untreated raw sewer water into the Rio Grande River which eventually discharges into the vast Gulf of Mexico, contaminating all Texas-Mexico border cities downstream potable water supply. According to the International Water Boundary Commission in El Paso, Texas, all Texas-Mexico border cities downstream from Del Rio, Texas to Brownsville, Texas rely on the Rio Grande River as their sole source of potable water.
Among the cities affected are Laredo-Nuevo Laredo, Zapata, Roma, Rio Grande City, La Joya, Mission, Pharr, San Juan, Alamo, McAllen, Harlingen, and Brownsville and their Mexican sister cities.
The City of Piedras Negras municipal sewer treatment plant does not know when it is going to repair its sewer plant because it does not have the funds to purchase the equipment necessary. Meanwhile, the Piedras Negras sewer plant continues to contaminate the Rio Grande River for downstream users.
Rio Grande River water users downstream from Del Rio to Brownsville also have to contend with the possible contamination of their potable water supply from a large open surface coal mine operating in northern Piedras Negras, Coahuila opposite Eagle Pass and the future contamination by a recently approved open surface coal mine in northern Eagle Pass in Maverick County, Texas permitted by the Texas Railroad Commission on January 29, 2013. The City of Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Maverick County Hospital District, Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association, and local farmers, ranchers, and landowners are opposing the Texas Railroad Commission”s decision to permit the Eagle Pass Mine owned by Dos Republicas Coal Partnership, a Texas partnership owned by two Texas corporations who are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Mexico’s giant steel and coal conglomerate, Grupo Acerero del Norte, S.A. and Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A. (Grupo GAN/AHMSA) of Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.
