BROWNSVILLE WEIR PROJECT - A VIABLE OPTION

NOTE - This editorial by then-BPUB Chairman Sam Pate appeared in
The Brownsville Herald on August 2000.

Brownsville and the other Rio Grande Valley cities are facing long-term water shortages due to the most severe drought in history. Some Brownsville residents may be wondering, "What is the Brownsville Public Utilities Board doing to solve this critical problem?"

We at the Brownsville PUB are doing many, many things to combat the long-term water shortages and we continue to work hard to ensure there is always an adequate supply of water for Brownsville. The Brownsville PUB has taken a proactive stance and done numerous studies to search for alternative sources of water. The Brownsville Weir and Reservoir Project is one of many undertakings by the Brownsville PUB.

 

In addition to the weir, we are building an additional water storage facility to add to our emergency supply of water.

The Brownsville PUB recently reactivated the Southmost Regional Water Authority to work with three other entities to develop a ground water field near Brownsville.

Third, we are working on a reuse project that will allow for our effluent to be recycled for industrial uses, such as for golf course watering and other non-human consumption.

Also, we have a Resaca Dredging and Restoration Project underway that will clean out and restore our resacas. This project will help with flood control; it will allow for another water storage reservoir; it will enhance our quality of life in Brownsville; and it has great economic and ecotourism benefits.

Currently, the use of river water is the most accessible and cheapest source we have. Our ground water supply is limited. Desalinization is very expensive. So, to combat the water shortage situation, the Brownsville PUB has been very active in water conservation from doing leak detection studies to implementing a conservation plan.

Based on all of our studies and research, the Brownsville Weir and Reservoir Project is the most viable long-term water conservation project. For almost 20 years, we have studied, met with, talked with and done everything possible to answer every interested party's concern.

Each and every local political entity - city, county, Brownsville Navigation District and others - have endorsed and supported this project. In addition, the Brownsville PUB has received support at all levels from federal and state legislators and from the Mexican government. The Texas Water Development Board incorporated the Weir Project as a top priority in the current Texas Water Plan. The U.S. Congress and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency have provided financial support for the project. In addition, with respect to the contested hearing at the TNRCC, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, and the Frontera Audubon Society have filed requests to withdraw as parties to the TNRCC proceedings; and various others are also NO LONGER opposed to the project.

The Brownsville PUB has no desire to hurt any entity, group or wildlife.

The Weir Project promotes water conservation at the highest level. It will capture water from the Rio Grande that has passed all other river water users and store this water within the existing river channel for future use. The weir will impound water, but it will be designed and operated to allow for the passage of water to satisfy downstream flow requirements of agricultural, marine and environmental interests.

Every acre-foot of water conserved by the Weir Project will result in an unreleased acre-foot of water remaining in storage behind Falcon Dam for the benefit of Rio Grande Valley municipalities, industries and agriculture.

We at the Brownsville Public Utilities Board are not only fulfilling the water needs of Brownsville, we are ensuring that our customers never go thirsty. Once completed, the Brownsville Weir and Reservoir Project will supply local communities with an additional 40,000 acre-feet of water per year.

Though the Brownsville PUB has actively pursued this project, we are still in the permitting stage and we need your help to ensure the project becomes a reality. I hope you will join me in writing our elected officials in Washington, D.C. and in Austin, Texas, to ask them for continued support of the project:

Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchinson
United States Senate
Washington, D.C 20510
(202) 224-5922

Honorable Phil Gramm
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2934

Honorable Solomon Ortiz
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7742

Senator Eddie Lucio
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station, Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-0127

Representative Rene Oliveira
Room 4N.10, Capitol Building
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0640.

I will make every effort to keep you informed of the project, but if you would like additional information about the Weir Project, contact the Brownsville Public Utilities Board at 1425 Robinhood Drive, Brownsville, TX 78521, or call us at (956) 983-6100.