We never got along with District No. 3, admits former McAllen mayor

EDCOUCH, Texas – Jim Darling, the former mayor of McAllen, has acknowledged that the feud between the city and a local water district went on for decades.

“I’ve been with the city for 46, 47, years, and we’ve always fought with District No. 3,” said Darling, who is a previous city attorney for McAllen. “It is an issue. You’ve got a main water district running right through the middle of the city and you have not agreed with them since time began.”

Darling said former McAllen mayors were appointed to the board of Hidalgo County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 in the hope the two governmental entities could achieve detente. But it still did not work.

Hidalgo County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 no longer exists. It merged recently with Santa Cruz Water Control and Improvement District No. 15 to become Hidalgo County Consolidated Water Control and Improvement District.

Darling was asked how this merger came about when he gave an in-depth presentation on water resource management at the recent 2025 Delta Area Summit. The event was hosted by Elsa Economic Development Corporation and held in the technology building at Edcouch-Elsa ISD.

Darling spoke about the merger of the two water districts and also about the history of animosity between the City of McAllen and District No. 3.

Here is a video recording of what Darling said:

Editor’s Note: The Rio Grande Guardian recently interviewed Othal Brand, Jr., the president of Hidalgo County Consolidated Water Control and Improvement District and former manager of Hidalgo County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3. Click here to watch the podcast.

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