The colonias of the US-Mexico border are home to hundreds of thousands
of people who reside in conditions that would be unacceptable anywher
e else in the country. The community health problems of the colonias a
re many and varied, but environmental contamination ranks among the mo
st pervasive. Contamination of water supplies is an especially signifi
cant risk to the health of these communities. The health and environme
ntal problems of colonias are a phenomenon limited to the border regio
n; however, they become problems of national and international importa
nce as the economic development of the border increases as a result of
the North American Free Trade Agreement.