District considers plan to sell storm waters

The Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 historically has only been concerned with ways to get storm waters out of the county.

With South Texas facing a significant water shortage in the future and the district searching for additional revenues, its focus is now shifting toward what to do with the abundant water supply in its extensive drainage network.

The district is developing plans for a water treatment plant that would develop and sell the water that it has long shipped through its drainage canals to the Laguna Madre.

The main canal that collects floodwaters from the rest of the county is essentially a manmade river that thus far has been untapped, said Deren Li, a water resources engineer who is developing the district's plan. The district's drainage network captures enough water to meet the daily demands of an individual city in the Rio Grande Valley.

"Many cities in Hidalgo County will have a shortage of water by 2050," he said. "(The drainage) water was wasted before, but now we're going to develop it."

The district hired Li to prepare a study that analyzes potential sites for the plant, the best process to treat the water and a cost estimate for the project.

The water treatment plant can be built for anywhere from $20 to $50 million depending on how many gallons of water it is built to treat each day, Li said. The costs for the plant would be offset by the fact that the district would not have to pay for the water rights.

But the district is seeking additional sources to pay for the plant, including state and federal funding.

The district received a grant from the Texas Water Development Board to perform a feasibility study for a regional water treatment facility, said Leslie Anderson, the communications director for the state agency. The study will help the district evaluate whether the runoff and groundwater captured by the district can be put to beneficial use in South Texas.

Hidalgo County, one of the fastest-growing in the nation, faces a significant water shortage in the future. A study conducted last year by a regional water planning group estimated that there will be twice as much demand for water as available supply by the year 2050.

The limited supply of water available in the Rio Grande is allocated between two countries, multiple municipalities and dozens of irrigation districts, said Godfrey Garza, the general manager for the district. The runoff that collects in drainage canals provides an additional source while contributing to overall water conservation.

"You've got to find new sources of water for the future," he said. "This water we're looking at provides a brand new source that hasn't been allocated."

The plan would also create an additional revenue source for the district to help it improve its flood control systems.

The district owns the rights to all the water in its ditches. Unlike the water in the river, there is no cost for the district to buy the water rights.

With no material costs, the district only has to worry about treating the water and delivering it to customers.

The costs for the treated water will determine whether groups that sell the resource to customers are interested in purchasing from the district, said Steven Sanchez, the water operations manager for the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation. With the district's planning still in its initial phase, those costs are undetermined.

But when the district initializes its pilot program — Garza expects that could come within two years — it will provide an additional source of a scarce resource.

"The Valley is continuing to grow and it's going to need water, particularly in a drought," he said. "We've been hurting for water in droughts before, so we're definitely interested in any project that expands the available water supply."

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.