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Laredo staff report progress in talks with CBP and seek independent technical review of proposed riverfront infrastructure
Summary
City staff reported receiving CBP mapping and hydraulic data and recommended independent, defensible technical and flood-risk reviews before any right-of-entry or construction; public commenters urged the city to insist on mitigation and information sharing with cross-border partners.
City staff told the Laredo City Council on April 29 that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun providing mapping and hydraulic data for proposed riverfront infrastructure concepts and that staff will pursue independent verification of the data before finalizing any right-of-entry decisions or agreements.
The update covered engineering readiness, receipt of CBP design and hydraulic modeling, and the recommendation to commission independent reviews — including verification of base flood-elevation and International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) diversion standards — to determine potential impacts to neighborhoods and city infrastructure.
Staff said some CBP alternatives reduce footprint in sensitive downtown areas and that access points to the river could be preserved in negotiation. The city has begun appraisals of affected parcels to prepare for right-of-entry and potential compensation discussions. "We are starting to receive that border patrol design and hydraulic modeling," a staff presenter told the council; "the data appears to be really good data and is helping us make those determinations."
Public comments from the Rio Grande Landowners Coalition urged the city to require flood-risk mitigation and to ensure federal funding covers any necessary remediation or property acquisition if federal infrastructure increases flood exposure to local homes. Ricardo Zanda, appearing for the coalition, recommended expedited independent flood evaluations and insisted the city secure defensible data for negotiations.
Staff said the next steps are to complete data review, commission independent verification where necessary, and bring limited right-of-entry recommendations to council for properties where surveys are required. No formal council action was taken on this item beyond the update and discussion.
