Los Fresnos council advances TWDB water projects, authorizes engineering and grant application

The Los Fresnos City Council authorized work authorization No. 7 with Guzman Munoz Engineering & Surveying (GMES) for engineering services tied to Texas Water Development Board DWSRF project No. 62627 and approved a resolution to apply for TWDB funding to repair and improve the city’s water reservoirs.

Mark, the city manager, told the council the engineering work will include revisions to plans and specifications, bid package preparation and project management, and capped the not-to-exceed value of the GMES authorization at $539,765. He said this construction phase follows a 2017 system study that identified aging pipes, undersized mains and other infrastructure needs and noted that GMES and Jose Munoz have been involved since the study phase.

On the reservoir resolution, Mark said the city’s reservoirs together give the system about a 60-day supply of water under current operations. The proposed TWDB project would remove built-up sludge and carry out extensive work on one reservoir built in the late 1950s and other larger tanks; Mark said grant awards depend on the applicant pool and that being partly in an economically disadvantaged area improves the city’s competitiveness. The council voted to authorize staff to submit the application and to engage necessary professional services.

The TWDB work is tied to a larger water and wastewater program noted in the meeting, where Mark said about 70% of project costs are expected to be grant-funded with the remaining 30% financed through low-interest loans as applicable. Councilors asked whether the engineering work would govern new subdivisions’ sizing and were told the current authorization focuses on older areas of the system rather than new-development sizing.

The council approved the GMES authorization and the TWDB application request in separate votes during the meeting.