Quarterly Public Forum Reports Progress on International Water Management

The quarterly meeting of the Lower Rio Grande Citizens Forum covered a wide range of concerns about water management progress along the Rio Grande and the Arroyo Colorado managed by the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC0).

The well-attended meeting was held in the USIBWC Conference room at the Mercedes main headquarters.

The meeting got underway with welcome and introductions by Omar Rios, Forum Co-Chair. Rios opened the meeting by recognizing each guest present. The public meeting included concerned attendees from such diverse fields as environmentalists, park rangers, 3 Border Patrolmen, USDA officials, Mexican representatives, farmers and ranchers—all with deep concerns about flooding, water division with Mexico and law enforcement along the border.

Carlos Pena, Jr., USIBWC Principal Engineer of the El Paso IBWC Operations Department, spoke about the need for constant attention to water levels and usage along the Rio and the status of Mexico’s water deliveries in accordance with the 1944 Water Treaty.

“Under that Treaty,” Pena said, “Mexico provides water to the United States from six tributaries to the Rio Grande. The United States receives l/3 of the flow arriving in the river. From these six tributaries, water for both nations is stored at Amistad Dam and Falcon Dam.. USIBWC is working with CONAGUA (the Mexican counterpart of IBCW) to review proposals to mitigate actions and project should be finished before the end of this calendar year.”

Carey Perry, Project Manager of the Vegetation Management Plan (VMP), made a presentation explaining their plan for revegetation and continued vegetation maintenance within the reach of the Cameron County floodway, while protecting the environment and several endangered species of plants and animals.

The Arroyo Colorado floodplain is an important floodway in Cameron County, not only as a floodwater channel, but also as an area that migratory birds use to rear their young.

It is also a travel corridor for the federally endangered Gulf Coast jaguarondi and ocelot.

It was explained that the Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) was prepared to determine the effect of the woody vegetation removal on these threatened and endangered species.

Finally, Ramon Navarro, USIBWC, Civil Engineer, gave an update on efforts to address cracks in the Rio Grande flood control levee near the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville. He gave a summary of the geotechnical evaluation of the Brownsville levee. His information provided a review of the current status of the planned repairs of the levee. He said that recent improvements and repairs have solved many of the problems. The increase in levee heights has reduced any current risks, but the work and monitoring continue.

The meeting ended with a lively question and answer session and plans to have another quarterly public meeting of the Lower Rio Grande Citizens Forum to be announced for early next year. Questions about the next public forum can be directed to Mario Montes at 915 832 4794 or email [email protected].