Concrete Biodeterioration in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region
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CONCRETE BIODETERIORATION IN THE U.S. - MEXICO BORDER REGION Rendon, L. E.1.*, Lara, M. E.2, Rendon, S. K.3, Rendon, M.2 and Li, X.1 (1)Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), 8532 Cuauhnahuac, Jiutepec, Morelos. (2) marudecori Consultants, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México; (3) School of Chemistry, National University Autonomous of Mexico, México City.
ABSTRACT Concrete biodeterioration is defined as the damage that the products of microorganism metabolism, in particular sulfuric acid, do to hardened concrete. In Canada and in the northern part of the United States, sewer failures from concrete biodeterioration are almost unknown. In the southern part of the United States and in Mexico, however, it is a serious and expensive problem in sewage collection systems, which rapidly deteriorate. Also, leaking sewage systems result in the loss of groundwater resources particularly important in this arid region. Almost every city in the Mexican-American border region, who’s combined population is more than 15 million people, faces this problem. The U.S. cities have made some provision to face these infrastructure problems, but the Mexican cities have made less effort. We recommend here the Mexican norm (NMX-C-414-ONNCCE-2004) [1] to be reviewed, or at least that a warning be issued as a key measure to avoid concrete biodeterioration.
*Corresponding author: [email protected] Tel 52(777)3293600 ext. 166
1. INTRODUCTION As established by treaties in 1848 and 1853, the international boundary between the United States and Mexico follows the middle of the Rio Grande from its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico a distance of 1,254 miles (2,019 km) to a point just upstream of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. The region along the boundary is characterized by deserts, rugged mountains, and abundant sunshine, two major rivers, the Colorado and the Rio Grande, provide life-giving waters to the largely arid but fertile lands along the rivers in both countries, figure 1.
Figure 1. Rio Grande corridor at the U.S.-Mexican Border Region Today the boundary is singularly characterized by fifteen pairs of sister cities (figure 1) sustained by agriculture, import-export trade, service, tourism, and, in recent years, by a growing manufacturing sector. "The borderlands population was estimated to be 10.6 million in 1995. This population is estimated to increase to between 13.3 and 14.9 million by 2010. J. Peach and J. Williams [1]. 2003. "Population Dynamics of the U.S.-Mexican Border Region." Unpublished, forthcoming SCERP Monograph. San Diego: SCERP/SDSU Press. As noted at http://www.scerp.org/population.htm. The Treaty of February 3, 1944, "Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande" [1] distributed between the two countries the waters of the Rio Grande from Fort Quitman to the Gulf of Mexico, and the two Governments agreed to give preferential attention to the solution of all border sanitation problems. In Canada and in the northern part of the United States, sewer failures from sulfuric-acid
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