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LOS INDIOS — The sprawling water system for the Valley’s border area stretches 40 miles from the outskirts of Brownsville to Pharr.
On Wednesday, the Military Highway Water Supply Corp. and county officials broke ground to install miles of larger 12-inch water pipe as well as replacing the filtration system here at Las Rusias Water Treatment Plant.
The two projects were awarded $700,000 by county commissioners in a 50-50 match using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act recently passed by Congress.
“Water is going to be more readily available, and there is going to be a higher flow rate,” said County Commissioner Gus Ruiz, who represents Precinct 4. “There’s going to be better pressure and the quality of water is going to be improved in this area for all the residents who use Military Highway Water Supply.”
About 13,000 Valley residents use water from the non-profit utility.
“Over the years, our infrastructure in the area, whether it’s water lines, whether it’s roads, whether it’s drainage, it has deteriorated,” Ruiz said. “And with the population increase here in the Valley, here in the state of Texas and across the nation and in the world, we have to keep up with improving our infrastructure at the same rate our population increases.”
The MHWSC has been planning for the improvements to its water lines and to its filtration system at the Las Rusias plant for two or three years, said Jimmy Sanchez, secretary-treasurer of the utility’s board.
“Everything you do out here, you’re looking from Hidalgo all the way to Pharr and all the way to the entrance of Brownsville,” he said. “So you’ve got this long line, and if something breaks, then you’ve got to clean it out, flush it out.”
“It’s complicated, and everything you do is in the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he added.
The last rate increase for customers of MHWSC came on Jan. 1, 2021, when residential rates for water rose 18 percent and sewer rates went up 16 percent.
The additional funding that provided also went for infrastructure improvements, but this time around, Ruiz said the utility has no plans to raise rates any time soon.
“At this point, no,” Ruiz said. “These are monies that are already budgeted by Military Highway Water and is in addition to the grant that the county gave them. It’s a great partnership, it’s a win-win for everybody, so no, it will not affect their water bills at this point.”
Ruiz said he hoped the work could begin in a couple of weeks.
