FEATURED: Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, announced the Texas Legislature’s passage of his Senate Bill 1967, which will increase the state’s ability to manage flood risks and improve water resource management, including helping finance the Delta Reclamation Project in Hidalgo County. When completed, the Delta Reclamation Project will convert daily drainage runoff into a new source of drinking water while also providing flood mitigation through proposed detention ponds. Hinojosa is seen here about a year ago on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi for the groundbreaking of the university’s new Arts and Media Building.
Photograph Courtesy TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI
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Texas Legislature approves measure by Sen. Juan Hinojosa to help create new source of drinking water from potential floods in deep South Texas
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]
Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, announced the Texas Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 1967, which will increase the state’s ability to manage flood risks and improve water resource management, including helping finance the Delta Reclamation Project in Hidalgo County.
The Delta Reclamation Project is the first stormwater reclamation project by a drainage district in Texas.
Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 is currently working on the Delta Reclamation Project, a significant initiative aimed at reclaiming water from local drainage systems. This project will help tackle the area’s ongoing flooding issues, which are caused by flat terrain, non-absorbent soils, and long distances to natural water outlets.
When completed, the Delta Reclamation Project will convert daily drainage runoff into a new source of drinking water while also providing flood mitigation through proposed detention ponds.
Drainage districts, which may be established upon a two-thirds vote of qualified resident property taxpayers in the proposed districts, are organized for construction of canals, drains, ditches and levees.
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/drainage-districts
The Delta Reclamation Project is located in the northernmost areas of Hidalgo County and southern Willacy County. The Delta Reclamation Project will capture and treat water from a major drainage outfall channel of Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1, alleviating floods while creating a new water source for the region. Waters captured include stormwater, agricultural runoff, and treated wastewater effluent discharges.
Senate Bill 1967, authored by Hinojosa, is paving the way for important funding opportunities for flood mitigation projects. The bill will now head to Gov. Greg Abbott for final approval.
“Addressing water challenges across the state is a priority this session. I was proud to author Senate Bill 1967, which makes the Delta Reclamation Project eligible for funding from the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund and other Texas Water Development Board funds,” said Hinojosa. “This project has two main goals: improving our drainage system and capturing water that would otherwise flow to the Gulf and treating the water for distribution to suppliers for both drinking and non-drinking use.”
The author of a bill is the legislator who files a bill and guides it through the legislative process (also called the primary author).
A bill is a type of legislative measure that requires passage by the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives and action by the governor in order to become effective. A bill is the primary means used to create and change the laws of the state.
“Filed” is used to refer to a measure that has been introduced into the legislative process and given a number.
Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 1967 in the Texas House of Representatives.
He added an amendment – accepted by Hinojosa in the Senate – that also authorizes water supply projects that contain a flood control component to be eligible for financial assistance from the State Water Implementation Fund (SWIFT) and the Water Supply Account within the Water Loan Assistance Fund.
As the lead sponsor, Martínez is the legislator who guided a Senate Bill 1967 through the legislative process after the bill has passed the originating chamber – in this case, the Texas Senate.
“I am proud to be part of the legislation providing a generational change for the Rio Grande Valley. This measure addresses the flooding issues that we have experienced over the past decades,” said Martínez. “Senate Bill 1967 will also create a new water source to address the water shortages we are facing now and in the future. It will allow us to create a new water source for residents in the Rio Grande Valley. Without the changes in state law, the Delta Reclamation Project would face challenges obtaining funding from the State of Texas.”
According to Hinojosa, Senate Bill 1967 provides that “flood project” means a drainage, flood mitigation, or flood control project, including construction of multi-purpose flood mitigation and drainage infrastructure projects that control, divert, capture, or impound floodwater, stormwater, agricultural runoff water, or treated wastewater effluent and treat and distribute the water for the purpose of creating an additional source of water supply, noted Hinojosa.
“I appreciate Hidalgo County Commissioner (Precinct 1) David Fuentes for his efforts in advocating for this legislation and thank Rep. Martínez for sponsoring the bill in the Texas House. I look forward to Gov. Abbott signing this bill into law,” Hinojosa said.
Hidalgo County District No. 1 is a county agency, whose governing board is made up of Richard Cortéz, Hidalgo County Judge, who serves as chairman; David L. Fuentes, Hidalgo County Commissioner Precinct 1; Eduardo “Eddie” Cantú; Hidalgo County Commissioner Precinct 2; Everardo “Ever” Villarreal, Hidalgo County Commissioner Precinct 3; and Ellie Torres, Hidalgo County Commission Precinct 4.
In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 7, joint authored by Hinojosa, which created the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund to help communities develop drainage and flood control projects. This fund, managed by the Texas Water Development Board, provides financial assistance — through grants and zero-interest loans — to cities, counties, and other organizations working to improve flood management and water resources.
Currently, existing Texas Water Development Board programs do not fit the needs of the Delta Reclamation Project, which means the local project is not qualified for funding.
However, Senate Bill 1967 changes language in the Texas Water Code to allow projects like the Delta Reclamation Project to receive support from the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund. It expands the definition of a “flood project” to include those that control and repurpose floodwater and stormwater for drinking and other uses
Hidalgo County District No. 1 is a recently-approved wholesale water provider.
https://www.hcdd1.org/page/about
With funding assistance, Hidalgo County District No. 1 can construct the first water treatment plant, produce the much-needed potable water, establish a customer base, create a model for others to follow, and alleviate the dependence on the Rio Grande River. This will boost the local economy and give more water security to the Rio Grande Valley.
For more details about Senate Bill 1967 – including its history, text, actions, companions, amendments, authors, sponsors, captions, and bill stages – log on to:
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB1967
Flood mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce or eliminate the potential for flood damage, including measures like altering structures to resist water flow, moving structure out of harm’s way, and managing water flow through engineering solutions. Essentially, it’s about decreasing the risk of property damage and loss of life due to flooding.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=what+is+flood+mitigation&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Detention ponds are engineered structures designed to temporarily storm stormwater runoff. They are often used in urban areas to manage runoff and prevent flooding, especially after heavy rainfall events. Unlike retention ponds, which permanently hold water, detention ponds are designed to drain completely between rainfall events.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=what+are+detention+ponds?&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Stormwater runoff is precipitation (rain or snowmelt) that flows across the land’s surface instead of soaking into the ground. It can pick up pollutants like trash, chemicals, and sediment as it moves over land, eventually entering streams, lakes, and other water bodies. In urban areas, impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots contribute to increased runoff volume and pollution.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=what+is+stormwater+runoff&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Agricultural runoff is water, often from rainfall or irrigation, that flows over agricultural land and carries with it pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, and soil particles. This runoff then enters nearby rivers, lakes, and other water bodies, potentially causing pollution and harming aquatic ecosystems.
Treated wastewater effluent is wastewater that has undergone treatment in a wastewater treatment plant to remove contaminants, making it suitable for discharge back into the environment for reuse. This process involves various stages of treatment to remove solids, organic matter, pathogens, and other pollutants. The resulting effluent is a liquid stream that has been cleaned and, if meeting quality standards, can be released into rivers, lakes, or used for irrigation or other purposes.
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Carlos Sánchez and Dariel Ramírez contributed to this article. For more on this and other Texas legislative news stories that affect the Rio Grande Valley metropolitan region, please log on to Titans of the Texas Legislature (TitansoftheTexasLegislature.com).
