After Record Rainfall, Flooding In 2018, Harlingen TX, Other Rio Grande Valley Towns Parse Options
HARLINGEN — Spurred by memories of last June’s record rains, and the looming hurricane season, city officials from across the Valley met yesterday with the top official of the International Boundary and Water Commission to discuss rising concerns about flood control. IBWC Commissioner Jayne Harkins and principal engineer Daniel Avila were in Harlingen to discuss a regional response to recent agency proposals for dredging the Arroyo Colorado and slashing vegetation choking its banks.
“The June flood that we experienced was such that we had several cities — Weslaco, Mercedes, us here in Harlingen — that had water damage in homes, we had several roads that were flooded causing damage to the roads, and it was extensive,” Harlingen City Manager Dan Serna told IBWC officials. Serna said the damages totaled in the million of dollars, and pointed out that the arroyo was carrying 5,000 cubic feet per second and hit an elevation just below 24 feet at the flood gauge in Harlingen. IBWC engineers say the arroyo should be currently able to carry off 85 percent of its 21,000 cfs capacity.
“The improvements that were done in 2014, 2017, to remove some vegetation, was supposed to bring it back up to an acceptable level, about 85 percent (of capacity) I believe,” Serna added. “But what we experienced in 2018 with the flood was that at 5,000 (cfs) we were underwater in several areas at an elevation of 24. I believe the study from (IBWC engineer Apurba Borah) indicated that at 85 percent we can get to an elevation of what, almost 29 feet? “At 29 feet, I don’t even want to imagine what that looks like,” he said.
The record rainfall of 16.85 inches in just 72 hours last summer in Harlingen has added urgency to efforts to find answers to what many say is a deteriorating flood-control system in the Valley.
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