Rivera: We see far less flooding of McAllen homes than we used to

MCALLEN, Texas – The City of McAllen held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 16, 2025, for its $1.5 million Northwest Blueline Regional Detention Facility. 

The project is the last of 18 designated projects that came about thanks to a $22 million bond election for drainage improvement projects in 2018. 

The project adds a new stormwater detention facility with space to hold about 97,000 cubic yards of runoff. 

Under the project, crews improved 5,500 feet of the Northwest Blueline Ditch and cleared another 2,400 feet downstream. They also stabilized the area with permanent vegetation. 

City leaders predict the upgrades will greatly reduce flooding risks in northwest McAllen and nearby neighborhoods. 

Speakers at the ceremony included City Commissioner Rolando Rios, McAllen Deputy City Manager Michelle Rivera, and City Engineer Eduardo Mendoza.

Editor’s Note: Here is a video recording of the press conference:

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Interviewed by reporters after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rivera said the Northwest Blueline Regional Detention Facility is part of the City of McAllen’s continued investment in critical drainage infrastructure to protect neighborhoods, improve resilience during storm events, and enhance quality of life for residents.

“McAllen is very flat, and so we do have to make best use of our land and the slopes that we do have. And regional detention facilities like this are amazing because they store the water and give us more time to allow the water to drain out through the canals that we do have,” Rivera said.

Rivera said that because of the projects undertaken thanks to the 2018 bond election, there is far less flooding in McAllen than there used to be.

“We’ve seen a great deal less flooding in the homes. Several years ago, we maybe had 800 homes flood, and with this even larger (recent) rain event, we’ve seen less than 100, and in times recently. So I think we’re having a great impact, and we continue to move forward with our progress.”

Asked about the 2018 bond issue, Rivera said:

“We had about 18 projects in the 2018 bond issue that was passed by the voters, and this is the last large one. We do have one more that is under design and a pump that will complete the entirety of the 2018 projects. But this is the last large one, and this one was about a million and a half (dollars) in itself.”

The Northwest Blueline Ditch. (Photo credit: City of McAllen)

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