Reprint from the Progress Times - April 11, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Levee improvements on agenda for public meeting

 

The United    States Section of  the   International  Boundary  and Water Commission     (USSIBWC) will give an update on Rio Grande flood control levee improvements at an upcoming public meeting. The meeting of the USSIBWC’s Lower Rio Grande Citizens’ Forum (LRGCF) will take place April 16, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, 322 S. Missouri Avenue in Weslaco. The purpose of the LRGCF is to facilitate the exchange of information between the USSIBWC and members of the public about commission activities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The USSIBWC began construction in January to raise the height of United States Rio Grande flood control levees in Cameron County and a new phase of construction is about to begin in Hidalgo County. USSIBWC studies have identified levee segments that need to be raised in order to provide adequate protection from the 100-year flood. In Cameron County, USSIBWC crews have already completed work on a five-mile levee segment. Additional levee improvements in Cameron County are underway and will be completed this year. Work is also scheduled to proceed this spring on deficient levee segments in Hidalgo County.

The LRGCF will also hear from Eric Ellman, executive director of Los Caminos del Rio, who will discuss his organization’s activities in the region. Los Caminos del Rio is seeking National Heritage Area status for the Rio Grande corridor from Laredo to Brownsville. Los Caminos del Rio began in 1991 as a Texas Historical Commission exercise in historic and cultural preservation. Part of the mission of Los Caminos del Rio is to mark the route of towns and historical sites beteen the Gulf of Mexico, Brownsville, and Laredo. Los Caminos del Rio also runs an outdoor adventure program that brings people to scenic hidden landscapes throughout the river corridor.

In other business, U.S. Commissioner Carlos Marin will introduce two new managers at USSIBWC who will play a leading role in the direction of the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project. Principal Engineer Al Rivera will oversee activities from USSIBWC Headquarters in El Paso, while Patrick Daize is taking over as Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood Control Project Manager at the local USSIBWC office in Mercedes.