Eagle Pass Waterworks presents balanced $16.6M budget and warns of urgent need for second water source

Eagle Pass officials and the Eagle Pass Waterworks System met in a joint workshop on Feb. 17 to review the utility’s proposed 2025–26 budget, capital‑improvement plan and long‑term water‑supply options.

Jorge Barragan, a Waterworks representative, presented the utility’s budget package and infrastructure needs, saying the proposed operating budget balances at roughly $16 million and that total projected revenue for the system is about $16.6 million. He told the council that drought and declining river flows have reduced sales and forced cuts to capital spending this year.

“Without water, we’re not gonna grow,” Barragan said, summing up the urgency that underpins the utility’s planning.

Why it matters: the board and council heard that the system serves a large area and that basic maintenance and expansion needs are substantial. The board described a $55 million capital‑improvement program that includes waterline replacement, storage‑tank rehab, new groundwater storage and continued rollout of AMI metering. The presentation listed recent capital work including replacement of more than 15 miles of cast‑iron pipe (about $17.5…