A Government Accountability Office report released on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, highlights areas where federal regulatory agencies can improve in the pressing need for improved drinking water and sanitation in the U.S.-Mexico border region, particularly in rural areas.

"A serious problem for U.S. communities along the U.S.-Mexico border is the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation systems." the report noted. The report suggests that Congress take action to require the EPA, HUD, the USDA and DOD to coordinate efforts concerning drinking water and wastewater programs in the region. The report also cites Defense and the USDA for "assuming" it was meeting statutory requirements without actually checking.

The report cites three major mistakes made by federal agencies, saying that most:

1. Have not comprehensively assessed the region's needs
2. Lack coordinated policies
3. Have not complied with regulations.

The regulations referred to were mostly those meant to decide how fns were supposed to be distributed. A general lack of assessment data was cited as a red flag for potential problems. Also cited was misapprobation of funds.

The U.S.-Mexico border region has experienced tremendous population growth in the last decade, due to immigration from Mexico and because of intra-U.S. population shifts from the Northeast and Midwest to Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Links

• Read the report.