Construction crews have completed repairs on a pipe in Nogales that carries millions of gallons of sewage across the international border.

A September storm dislodged concrete panels that protect the pipe, known as the International Outfall Interceptor, raising concerns among local officials that storm waters and debris could rupture the pipe and spill the nearly 10 million gallons of sewage that flow through the pipe daily from Nogales, Sonora.

The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which is responsible for applying boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico, announced on Wednesday the completion of a $674,000 repair to 240 feet of the pipe, located about two miles north of the border.

Sonoma, Calif.-based Abide International removed the damaged panels, replaced the washed-out soil with fill and placed concrete over the material to protect the line, the IBWC said in a news release. The city of Nogales made repairs to the concrete-lined Nogales Wash that lies on top of the line.


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Contact reporter Curt Prendergast at 573-4115 or cprendergast@tucson.com.