Council presses for focused, funded push on secondary water sources and infrastructure updates

LAREDO — City staff told the City Council on Monday that the utilities department has more than $90 million in active and upcoming water and sewer projects and that the city is pursuing multiple potential secondary water sources, but councilors pressed for a persistent, funded point person and clearer public updates.

Staff presented a list of active construction projects — including the Tajin (Mana) Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements, large transmission mains, lift station and storage tank work — and an upcoming set of citywide waterline replacement projects planned to be advertised for bid. The list included a $31 million 42‑inch gravity interceptor, a $51 million wastewater treatment plant project, and a multi‑year projection of repair and replacement needs tied to the city’s water and sewer infrastructure.

On long‑term supply, council members discussed three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) staff reported as under development or signed: regional partnerships with Legacy Water Supply Corporation (groundwater development), a potential desalination/Nueces River Valley Authority linkage, and discussions with Eagle Pass and other regional partners. City staff and interim utilities director Buzz Pishker said the city also has a water availability fund established by ordinance (cited by staff as Ordinance 2019‑071) intended to finance secondary water exploration.

Council member Melissa Sierra, who had proposed a budget allocation and staff focus in a separate item, said her intent was not to “duplicate” prior direction but to ensure consistent resources and staff time are assigned so the work does not stall. "We need a permanent voice on this," she said in the meeting discussion. Interim staff said the finance and utility leadership will overlap with the incoming utilities director and that the department is rebuilding engineering capacity.

Why it matters: staff presented capacity numbers (Jefferson and El Pico treatment plants combined capacity ~93 million gallons per day; average day ~34 MGD; max day ~44 MGD) and reuse potential (city currently returns roughly 20 MGD of treated effluent to the Rio Grande). Staff and outside advisers told council that opportunities include groundwater wells, regional purchases, beneficial reuse, and decreasing nonrevenue water through main replacements.

Council direction and next steps: council asked staff to (1) ensure a named, dedicated staff lead for secondary‑water negotiations and planning during the transition to a new utilities director, (2) resume regular, substantive council updates on utilities projects (not cursory summaries) and (3) provide a budget proposal for necessary consulting and travel to pursue the identified MOUs and partnerships. Staff said the city’s water availability fund is available as the financing vehicle and that additional studies and negotiations would be phased; no new procurement or contract award was approved at the meeting.

Staff noted the timeline for certain large projects — for example the 42‑inch interceptor is projected to be complete by November 2026 — and emphasized the work will be incremental, multi‑sourced and likely to include both treated and raw water options.

The council asked staff to return with regular dashboard updates to show project design, procurement and funding status.