The federal government signaled Thursday that it will likely combine its border fence and levee repair projects, calling the plan a “workable, feasible solution.”

“We’re optimistic that this will work out,” said Barry Morrissey, a spokesman with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on Thursday. A final decision is expected in the coming weeks.

Federal officials are working out last-minute logistics of how to implement the design before they make their official announcement. Morrissey said they were working off the design local officials proposed.

Mike Friel, the top CBP spokesman in Washington, later attempted to back away from Morrissey’s statements, however, saying the agency’s official position is that it is still in discussions to determine if a combined levee-fence is the best option.

Repairs are needed throughout the Rio Grande Valley’s 180-mile levee system to protect the area from major flooding in the event of torrential downpour. Congress, meanwhile, has mandated that almost 700 miles of fencing be built from San Diego to Brownsville to secure the U.S. border with Mexico.

Hidalgo and Cameron county officials spent much of 2007 lobbying federal officials in Washington, D.C., initially proposing to fix the levees and raise them high enough to serve as a border fence.

The plan has since shifted, but a search for an alternative to the fence has remained a top priority for local officials ever since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced last spring it would construct 70 miles of fencing throughout the Valley by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Hidalgo County is beginning work to repair the worst portions of the levees with $40 million in voter-approved money.

Local officials came up with their proposal to roll the border fence and levee repairs into one project with the hope of tapping into additional federal funding and speeding up the repairs. The county is expected to save $500,000 per mile on the levee repairs by combining the projects.

In Hidalgo County, 24 miles of the planned fence overlap stretches of levee where repairs are needed, according to initial assessments last fall.

“At times it looked like we were never going to get to this point,” Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas said of Thursday’s development. “I’m glad that they have been open-minded. I give a lot of credit to the (state’s) congressional delegation. They opened a lot of doors for us.”

Brian Walsh, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, expressed the senator’s support for the levee-fence concept in an e-mail.

“From Sen. Cornyn’s perspective, all evidence indicates this would prevent flooding, save taxpayer dollars and improve security. He will continue collaborating closely with the interested parties to help move this forward,” Walsh wrote.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, included language in a broad bill President Bush signed in late December that directed DHS to work with local officials on the placement and design of the border fence. She was also instrumental in securing $10 million in federal funding for levee repairs. Roughly $6.5 million is allocated to Hidalgo County, with the remainder going to Cameron County.

The International Boundary and Water and Commission, which owns and operates the 180-mile levee system from Peñitas to Brownsville, assessed the cost of repairs needed for 112 miles of the system at $125 million.

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Jackie Leatherman covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4424.