Brownsville Public Utilities Board - About Us - Annual Report

WEIR & RESERVOIR PROJECT
Brownsville Weir and Reservoir Project Gains Momentum

Weir and Reservoir Conceptual Drawing

Over the years, the Brownsville Weir and Reservoir Project has garnered support from different entities and cleared several hurdles, all of which have helped it gain the needed speed and momentum to reach the finish line - a good future water supply.

One of the recently cleared hurdles was Permit 5259 issued by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in September 2000. The permit allows the Brownsville PUB to impound 6,000 acre-feet of water per year behind the Weir. The permit request was first filed in 1989 and after much discussions and deliberations it was secured in 2000.

After receiving the permit, Brownsville PUB executives were Washington D.C.-bound in 2001 to urge the U.S. Congress for permitting and funding. Then Board Chairman Billy R. Bradford Jr., General Manager and CEO John S. Bruciak, and Assistant General Manager and COO Eduardo Campirano, presented the project before the U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee. Late in 2001, Brownsville PUB officials received word of a $2 million federal appropriation for the project. Officials are optimistic that they will obtain the necessary permitting and continued funding so as to begin Phase 1 of the Weir construction.

Negotiations are also underway between the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) and Mexico for construction of the Weir. To date, the Brownsville PUB has received $8.5 million in federal appropriations for the project that is estimated to cost $39 million.

The project has welcomed the support of many agencies and elected officials such as U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Phil Gramm, U.S. Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz and the Governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico. At home, most local officials are throwing their weight behind the Weir and others, who were once opposed to the project, such as the Texas Shrimper's Association, no longer oppose it.

Billy R. Bradford, Jr., then chairman of PUB lobbied in
2001 for funding of the
Weir before the US House
of Representatives' Appropriations Committee.

The Weir works like a dam to store water that would otherwise flow unused into the Gulf of Mexico. With current conditions, projections show that by 2006, the demand for water will exceed Brownsville's supply capacity. In 2001, Brownsville's demand for water was over 7 billion gallons.

Please click on the icons below to view a Water Level Chart:

The Weir is not the entire solution to the area's water demands, but only a fraction of it. Diversification is the key to the water success of Brownsville. The Weir in conjunction with Reverse Osmosis of brackish water, the acquisition of additional water rights, implementation of the water reclamation project and eventually desalinization of water from the Gulf of Mexico, will help meet Brownsville water needs for years to come.


The Weir will replace the current rock dam (pictured left) on the Rio Grande and sustain a maximum water level if 26 feet above sea level. It will generate up to 40,000 acre-feet of water per year, an increase of 35.7 million gallons per day. Pictured on the right is the Gateway International Bridge that carries traffic over the Rio Grande. the lifeline of water for Brownsville.