AUSTIN, Texas, July 19, 2002 -- The Texas Water Development Board recently authorized funds for the preparation of water and energy conservation infrastructure feasibility studies for the Donna Irrigation District, the Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 16, the Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1, and the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1.
These funds are made available through an agreement with the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) of the State Comptroller's Office to provide $3,914,500 of Oil Overcharge proceeds to irrigation districts along the Rio Grande to prepare feasibility studies on water infrastructure improvements that improve water distribution efficiency and energy usage.
These studies will provide the necessary documentation for the districts to apply for federal grant funds (with a 50% local match requirement) for construction of the water infrastructure improvements pursuant to the "Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources and Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000" or the "Act" enacted by the U.S. Congress in December of 2000, or any subsequent legislation.
On Thursday, July 11, the House Appropriations Committee's Energy and Water Subcommittee appropriated $2 million for water conservation projects in the Valley. This is part of the $10 million previously authorized for the four South Texas water conservation projects. U. S. Representative Ruben Hinojosa filed the bill for the irrigation system upgrades and has introduced amended legislation (HR 2990), which has been passed out of the House Resources Committee, to raise the $10 million to $47 million to help pay for an additional 15 projects.
The studies for the original four districts identified in the Act-- Hidalgo County Irrigation District #1 (Hidalgo #1), Cameron County Irrigation District #2 (Cameron #2), Harlingen Irrigation District Cameron County #1 (Harlingen #1), and the La Feria Irrigation District Cameron County No. 3-- were previously funded by the TWDB.
"We appreciate the TWDB's working with us to help in our facility planning efforts," said Wayne Halbert, General Manager of the Harlingen Irrigation District. "These studies are a major step towards final project construction."
While only four districts were originally specifically authorized in the Act, the approved federal legislative program to investigate and identify opportunities to improve the supply of water includes the Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Area (Region M) and the counties of Hudspeth and El Paso.
The Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group (Region M) has included agricultural water conservation as a management strategy in its regional water plan.
Improvements to the conveyance and distribution systems will help address irrigation needs and will assist with implementation of that water management strategy.
The Donna Irrigation District will receive up to $329,816 to study measures to upgrade its upper system lateral canals, specifically the replacement of several small lateral open canals, with a pipeline system. This will increase water conservation and improve water delivery management by reducing evaporation, seepage and maintenance, thereby increasing delivery pressure.
The Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 16 will receive up to $271,180 to study a project that will improve the delivery of water from the Rio Grande River to the district boundary by replacing off-district pumping plants with more efficient, variable speed pumps that are controlled by flow measurement devices within the canals.
The Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1 will receive up to $230,924 to study the replacement of seventy-five year old portions of the system that are open canals with new pipelines, allowing the district to operate a looped system with a continuous water supply.
"The District is very appreciative of the TWDB's assistance, particularly through the SECO funding program," said George Carpenter, General Manager of the Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1. "The more assistance we get, the more pipeline we can put in the ground, and the more water we can save," he added.
The El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 will receive up to $202,181 to study the lining of three canal segments to reduce seepage and construction of check structures and storage, and equalization structures to increase the efficiency and flexibility of water delivery.
"We thank the TWDB for their support and use of the SECO funds by the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 and the other districts receiving funding at this time," said Al Blair, P. E., of A. W. Blair Engineering. "All of the general managers and board members of each district are very appreciative of this much-needed assistance," he added. "This will be an enormous benefit to the State and the citizens in these areas," said Blair.
The TWDB anticipates funding an additional eight studies within the next several months.
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning and preparing the State Water Plan for the development of the state's water resources and administering cost-effective financial programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control and agricultural water conservation projects.
