NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — A longstanding wastewater infrastructure problem affecting Nogales is one step closer to repair after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a federal funding bill that includes $12.5 million for pipeline maintenance and repairs.
The funding is part of the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026, which passed the House on Wednesday.
The money is designated for work on the International Outfall Interceptor (IOI), a nine-mile pipeline that carries wastewater from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico to treatment facilities in the United States.
For years, failures in the aging pipeline have resulted in untreated wastewater spilling into parts of Nogales, Arizona, raising public health and environmental concerns.
According to federal officials, leaks from the pipeline can release raw sewage, trash, and industrial contaminants, with heavy rainfall worsening the problem.
The issue has affected residents and businesses in the border city of roughly 20,000 people.
In addition to funding repairs and maintenance, the legislation transfers ownership of the IOI from the City of Nogales to the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), a federal agency responsible for managing water and boundary issues between the United States and Mexico.
U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who represents Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, said the funding would move the project closer to a long-term solution. Ciscomani serves on the House Appropriations Committee.
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, the funding would allow repair work on the pipeline to move forward.
The broader appropriations package also includes funding for other federal programs and agencies, including the International Boundary and Water Commission, as well as national security and foreign policy initiatives.
KGUN 9 will continue to track the bill as it advances through Congress.
