Harlingen officials ‘open’ to proposed Valley Flood Control District

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At a recent city commission meeting, Harlingen officials said they were “open to the idea” of a proposed Valley-wide drainage district.

The meeting took place Wednesday where commissioners went back and forth on a resolution supporting the creation of a proposed Valley Flood Control District.

They ultimately voted to amend the resolution, cementing their support for the proposed district and vowing to explore it through further discussions.

Commissioners also added in action steps as well that would help make the district possible and hold themselves accountable in a timeline that is yet to be set.

The proposed district would encompass Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr counties, tying in each city’s numerous existing drainage and irrigation districts into a singular flood authority while also utilizing their existing personnel and equipment.

“This is an entity that would prioritize funding and construction of flood mitigation using the natural watershed boundaries,” Jessica Garcia said at the meeting on behalf of an advocate group she co-founded. “It’s a geographic focus vs a man-made boundary.”

The final vote was 5-1 with only District 4 Commissioner Frank Morales voting against the resolution.

Mayor Norma Sepulveda has expressed her support for the proposed district in the past, also stressing the importance of funding transparency with every city and existing drainage and irrigation district having a seat at the table.

“Regionalism gives everyone a seat and a stake,” said Sepulveda. “I voted yes because I am willing to work with whoever, so long as it helps Harlingen.”

She made it clear that the city’s government owes the repeated flood victims an effort by examining “every possible solution.”

According to the concept’s creators, this consolidated district would mend reported funding and staffing issues to better address the Valley’s flooding crisis.

As proposed, it would be funded by restructured tax levies on city and county levels as well as grants from federal and state bonds.

REAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES

Many local victims of flooding shared their support for the creation of the Valley Flood Control District during the public comments portion of Wednesday’s meeting.

Amongst the advocates for the flood control district was District 5 resident Wandy Cruz Velacruz.

She and her husband have lived in Harlingen for 10 years and have experienced extreme flooding twice, causing temporary displacement. She illustrated to the commission the negative effect the recurrent flooding has on residents, including personal physical ailments and mental anguish.

“This is not how we expected to spend our years leading to retirement,” said Velacruz.

According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment Report and Analysis, funded by the U.S. Government, by 2050, the RGV is expected to experience over 10 major flooding events per year.

In addition, according to that report, the annual average loss from flooding was at $20 million in 2020, and that number is expected to rise by 20% by 2050.

These figures were presented to the commission prior to their final vote.

DRAINAGE ADVOCATES

The Valley Flood Control District is the passion project of J.V. Garcia, a civil engineer who co-founded the RGV Coalition of Drainage Advocates (CODA).

Initially labeled “Reinvent Harlingen Drainage,” after March’s extreme flooding and all the negative consequences which followed, they re-titled their group, tying in areas Valley-wide to productively move toward solving the region’s flood crisis as a whole.

A number of these grassroots advocates and flood victims attended Wednesday’s meeting.

“We are banding together because we are tired of the repeated flooding in the area,” said Jessica Garcia.

The RGV Coalition of Drainage Advocates also work hand-in-hand with a multitude of expert and scientific advisors to compile research evidence of the Valley’s susceptibility to repeated flooding.

These advisors, including engineers, environmental scientists and natural resource experts, are not getting paid for their work here, however, as the advocate group is a 100% volunteer effort.

The group’s co-founders have spent numerous hours, days, and weeks encouraging local leaders to petition the Legislature to form the district.

They believe the district could provide the tools, including jurisdictional management, authority and funding, to reduce flooding, as well as the negative impacts that come along with it, and eventually aim to eliminate the repeated cycle of flooding in the Valley, through mitigation projects made possible by area collaboration.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

“RGV CODA is ecstatic that a major city in Cameron County has adopted this resolution to support a regional flood control district,” said J.V. Garcia. “Harlingen is a leader in the region, and it is very, very meaningful.”

A petition supporting the consolidated flood district currently has 1,600 signatures.

Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño made a public show of his support on Tuesday, calling the concept “a crucial step forward.”

Now, CODA is door-knocking to garner more signatures on the Valley flood district petition, furthering their purpose of igniting public support for the concept.

Following this recent resolution, they say the next step is to continue community engagement which they plan to do through a series of town halls.

San Benito also passed a resolution in support of the district with a 3-2 vote. Jessica Garcia believes the slight division of opinions on the topic can be attributed to the potential of upsetting existing drainage districts.

She solidified that CODA is not anti-drainage district, but rather recognizes that these existing districts need help, which they believe a regional district could procure.

“We are not advocating for anyone to lose their jobs,” said Jessica Garcia. “What we have looked at in the state of Texas is the Harris County Flood Control District. Their district employs 350 people in one county alone. We are talking about bringing three counties together. How many jobs could a regional solution create?”

“And how much funding can that one entity get in one shot versus all these different entities,” J.V. Garcia asked.

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