Laredo officials outline multi-pronged plan to reduce breaks, speed meter upgrades and pursue $57 million in low‑interest financing

LAREDO, Feb. 18, 2025 — City utility officials on Tuesday gave the City Council a detailed status report on water supply options and rehabilitation work and said staff will apply for a roughly $57 million Texas Water Development Board low‑interest loan to help fund a meter‑changeout program and a new pump station and elevated storage tank on the city’s south side.

The update, delivered by Buzz Fishger, interim executive director of the Utilities Department, laid out four near‑term priorities: faster repair and replacement of high‑break mains, targeted manhole and pipe inspections, a valve‑testing and replacement program, and meter modernization tied to an AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) customer portal that would allow residents to monitor usage.

Fishger said Laredo’s average daily production in 2024 was about 34 million gallons per day (MGD) with peak days near 44 MGD, while the city’s water rights from the Rio Grande total about 54 MGD. He noted wastewater treatment returns about 20 MGD to the river and called “beneficial reuse” an option staff will continue to…