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Weslaco staff identify telemetry gaps, call for phased fixes and Inframark assessment of water towers
Summary
City utilities staff told commissioners that the water plant can produce about 13.7 million gallons a day but currently pumps roughly 6.5 million; two towers lack remote monitoring and Inframark will run a technical review to locate leaks and recommend upgrades.
WESLACO, Texas At the March 4, 2026, Weslaco City Commission workshop, city utilities staff and contractor Inframark outlined capacity, monitoring gaps and near-term steps to address low-pressure complaints and aging towers.
Public utilities staff said the water treatment plant can produce roughly 13.7 million gallons per day at maximum capacity while current daily usage is about 6.5 million gallons. David Adze, the utilities lead, described the systems storage: a 2,000,000-gallon ground storage tank (GST), two roughly 1,000,000-gallon towers and a 300,000-gallon Kansas (Harlem/Hardin Block) tower. "The demand is up," Adze said, citing a drier winter and local growth; he warned that older distribution lines with repeated breaks will need phased repair.
Staff and Inframark officials told commissioners that the city can monitor the GST and the Bridge Tower on its SCADA system, but two towers (Milano and Harlem/Hardin Block) currently lack telemetry and cannot be seen in real time from the plant. An Inframark technical representative said adding communication modules and an altitude valve to those towers would allow operators to monitor levels and remotely open or close flows to optimize storage. The city plans to digitize brittle 1962 paper plans and overlay them in GIS to better locate lines and historic infrastructure.
Commissioners raised constituent reports of low pressure in specific neighborhoods. Staff said they have been isolating and filling towers in stages and that short-term fixes such as a booster pump at Harlem/Hardin Block could raise pressures while longer-term capital work is scheduled. Staff also said they are discussing the possible purchase of military-supplied water rights for parts of Progreso and are speaking with the militarys water attorney about a local agreement that could speed transfer.
Inframark regional vice president Brian Bruce described the companys national experience operating hundreds of water and wastewater plants and said a small Inframark team will be on-site next week to review flow data, maps and historical volumes to help identify nonrevenue water or hidden leaks. "Were going to look at all the data," Bruce said, offering a data-driven leak and distribution assessment beyond routine contract services.
Commissioners asked staff to prioritize monitoring upgrades and present a phased budget plan. The discussion concluded with staff scheduling Inframark technicians to assess the distribution system and returning to the commission with proposed short- and long-term fixes.
