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Hidalgo drainage district summarizes 'Rainbow Drain' Restore Act work, urges local oversight for next phase
Summary
Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 told Willacy County commissioners it restored roughly 62 miles of the 'Rainbow Drain' using Restore Act funds and district labor, is finalizing a feasibility study for congressional funding and prefers a locally managed section 204 approach that will require the county to hire construction oversight, with Water Development Board paperwork underway.
Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 briefed the Willacy County Commissioners Court on Oct. 23 about ongoing work to restore the Rainbow Drain and related lateral projects and the next steps for federal funding.
"It's a two‑fold project," the district's general manager said, describing the Restore Act (bucket 1) work and a separate lateral G project. The manager said the Restore Act allocation for the local footprint totaled $7,000,000 but third‑party construction estimates approached $13,000,000, prompting the district to seek certification from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and approvals from the Treasury to self‑perform restoration work so the project could proceed within the available budget.
Why it matters: commissioners were told the project covers roughly 62 miles of channel, with about 67–70% of the benefit falling inside…
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