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McAllen marks completion of Balboa Acres drainage upgrades to protect about 1,500 acres
Summary
City officials in McAllen held a ribbon-cutting to mark replacement of five manual sluice gates with automatic check valves and related headwall, spillway and erosion-control work intended to reduce backflow and flooding in Balboa Acres and nearby industrial areas.
McAllen officials onstage at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on the city’s Balboa Acres drainage project said the work replaces five outdated manual sluice gates with fully automatic check valves and includes headwall, spillway and erosion-control upgrades intended to reduce backflow and lower flood risk for nearby homes and industrial properties.
Communications Director Ida Machafa opened the event and introduced city leadership, including City Manager Isaac "Ike" Tewill, Assistant City Managers Juan Olaybel and Elvira Alonso and District 4 Commissioner Rudy Castillo. Engineering Director Eduardo Mendoza said the work "removes 5 outdated manual sluice gates and replaces 5 new fully automatic check valves" and will improve system reliability during heavy rain. "This project here behind me protects over 1,500 acres here in McAllen," Mendoza said.
Mendoza described the operational benefit: automatic check valves open and close without manual operation, allowing water to flow efficiently and preventing dangerous backflow during heavy rain events. He thanked drainage engineer Robert Garza, the contractor (named in remarks as Michael Susenos) and the designer, Perez Engineering, for their roles in bringing the project to completion. Mendoza said the contractor began work in February 2025 and completed the project in September 2025.
Commissioner Rudy Castillo said the upgrades "greatly [reduce] the risk of flooding in nearby homes and streets" and pointed to the added erosion-control measures and improvements to the headwall and spillway as steps toward long-term stability. City Manager Tewill framed the work as part of a broader, citywide mandate to strengthen McAllen’s drainage network and to protect property and business investments.
The event included acknowledgements of traffic operations staff and representatives from the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation. Chamber president Elizabeth Suarez and other business and civic representatives joined city staff and elected officials for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
City officials said the upgrades are designed to improve performance during storm events, but they did not announce related budget figures or additional scheduled projects at the ceremony. The ribbon-cutting concluded the public remarks portion of the program.
