Senate Bill S.2832 Needs to Move Forward to Prevent Another “Katrina” in the Rio Grande Valley

The recent strike in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas of Hurricane Dolly has brought necessary attention again to the condition of the levees along the Rio Grande River. The Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project was first built in 1932 as a joint venture between the United States and Mexico as protection for both countries borders areas from extreme flooding. Extensive flooding occurred following the last major hurricane to hit the area in 1967 (Beulah) which resulted in improvements in the system. Since the 1990’s sophisticated technology has surveyed the condition of the levees with the most recent report being published in June 2003.

All the studies have agreed that the current status of the flood project on both sides of the border would not meet the standards of a 100 year flood level which is the intended standard. Changes in the vegetation of the flood plains, agricultural use of land, population, as well as decay of the mostly clay based levees has resulted in the progressive decline over time of the potential effectiveness of the levee system in preventing flooding. Hurricane Dolly was a poor test because it was only at its peek a Category 2 storm which quickly became a tropical depression. A major hurricane would cause severe flooding along at least 38 miles of the river.

The costs of repairing and upgrading the levee system start at least 125 million dollars according the Commissioner Carlos Marin of the International Boundary and Water Commission which oversees the levees. Local Valley Congressmen including Rueben Hinojosa have been unsuccessful in their attempts to garner Federal funding for the necessary levee repair. The Hidalgo County Water District and other entities have tried to raise local funds on the order of about 38 million dollars for repairs by selling bonds even though the levee itself is a Federal responsibility.

Senator John Cornyn who visited the Valley right after Hurricane Dolly struck in April of 2008 proposed Senate Bill 2832 which would authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission to reimburse State and local governments for expenses incurred by such governments in designing, constructing, and rehabilitating the Lower Rio Grande Valley Flood Control Project. This bill currently is waiting to be evaluated by the Senate Foreign Relations committees which includes Senator Barack Obama who is supposed to be the key person in determining when and if ever it gets heard.

While no action has been taken for funding of the levee system by the Federal government after years of demonstrating a need, the Federal government did speedily pass legislation for a 50 billion dollar expenditure for a border fence which would pass through area for which both Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Obama voted. Local government officials have tried to combine rebuilding the levee system with the border fence idea to which the the Federal government has been favorable but not willing to foot the bill.

It is time for Mr. Obama to start going to his Senate Foreign Relations committee meetings and pay attention to a real need he has been ignoring. If the levees are not repaired and a major hurricane hits the Rio Grande Valley another Katrina scenario could be seen that was totally preventable by Mr. Obama. The local government should be lauded for trying to improve the situation but this is really a Federal matter of urgency. We support Senator Cornyn in his efforts.

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This entry was posted on 31. July 2008 at 08:50 and is filed under The Border Controversy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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