Harlingen approves $240,000 for drainage work aimed at reducing flooding in Secluded Acres, Spanish Acres and Westgate

The Harlingen City Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 19, 2025, to approve a $240,000 budget to fund drainage improvement materials and in‑house installation in flood-prone neighborhoods, City Engineer Robert Fernandez told the commission.

Fernandez said the package covers pipe upsizing, installation of backflow-preventing flap gates and roughly 40 acre-feet of detention within existing ditches to reduce the risk of streets and homes flooding. "The proposed $240,000 budget will fund the purchase of materials for drainage improvement projects previously approved under the interlocal MOUs," Fernandez said during his presentation.

The project targets several sites previously identified in memorandum-of-understanding work with local drainage and irrigation districts and, Fernandez said, includes upgrades in Secluded Acres, Spanish Acres and Westgate. He described changing undersized 24‑inch pipes to 30‑inch sections in several locations and adding a manhole and site‑specific backflow devices meant to prevent ditch water from reentering neighborhoods when downstream elevations are high. "It will allow flow to continue even if it's submerged. It'll only close once the elevation reaches the street," Fernandez said.

Commissioners asked whether the upgrades would protect against rare, very large storms. Fernandez said the system and the proposed work are sized to provide 25‑year conveyance with 50‑year detention for new developments and that no feasible local system can be expected to fully contain extremely rare 500‑ or 1,000‑year events. "We design them to at least 25‑year storm conveyance," he said. Commissioners emphasized they did not want a band‑aid fix and requested verification of pipe-sizing calculations; Fernandez said a contingency has been set aside to revisit sizes if necessary.

The presentation also described that much of the downstream system is owned or maintained by drainage districts and irrigation districts, so the city is coordinating with those entities under MOUs. Fernandez noted grant-funded projects further downstream will also increase capacity and help mitigation.

After discussion, the commission approved the budget by voice vote. The motion and second were made from the dais and the chair announced the motion carried unanimously.

Next steps: staff will finalize procurement, coordinate with partnering drainage/irrigation districts and begin in‑house installation; Fernandez said he will provide a follow-up with house-count impacts and any recommended pipe adjustments.

Votes and formal actions related to this item appear on the commission's agenda and minutes.