AWWA JTMGT64435

AWWA JTMGT64435 The Bajagua Project (Minute 311 Sanitation Project): A Unique Solution For Wastewater Treatment and Disposal
Conference Proceeding by American Water Works Association, 02/01/2007

Bushley, Alan; Rechany, Al

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The Bajagua Project is a $180,000,000 solution to help meet the wastewater treatment needs ofthe City of Tijuana through 2023. It will have capacity to treat 59 MGD; 25 MGD as primaryeffluent pumped back into Mexico from an existing treatment plant operated by the United StatesSection of the International Boundary and Water Commission, and 34 MGD as raw sewageintercepted from the Tijuana sewer collection system. The treated wastewater will be returned tothe United States, must meet secondary discharge standards, and will be discharged through theexisting South Bay Ocean Outfall. A future goal of the Bajagua Project is reuse of the effluent inMexico.The Bajagua Project is unique in many respects including:project facilities are located both in Mexico and the United States (U.S.) and thesewage crosses the international border;authorization of the Project required two acts of the U.S. Congress;construction and operating costs will be reimbursed from U.S. governmentappropriations;public-private partnership approach to designing, building, and operating theBajagua Project is a "first" in addressing a bi-national pollution program; although the wastewater treatment plant is located in Mexico, the project will meet bothU.S. and Mexican pollution control standards; and,development of the Project involves an extraordinary level of coordination to obtainapprovals and permits from federal, state, and local agencies on both sides of the U.S. -Mexico border.Bajagua LLC has assembled a multi-disciplinary team with legal, technical, and financialexpertise from both sides the border to address the complex and multi-faceted issues that must beresolved in implementing this project. Having received the approval and concurrence from U.S.and Mexican authorities, Bajagua LLC is proceeding with the procurement of a design-build-operate (DBO) contractorand is obtaining the permits and approvals required for construction.