The brownsville public utilities board will improve aquatic and riparian habitat, increase water storage capacity, and create recreational opportunities in the resaca DE LA guerra in southern texas

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board received a $4.55 million Project Grant from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) program (CFDA 15.507), awarded on September 16, 2025, with a completion date of March 31, 2027. The grant funds restoration and improvement projects for the Resaca de la Guerra, a former Rio Grande River distributary in Brownsville, Texas that serves as both a potable water supply reservoir and critical fish and wildlife habitat.

The primary deliverables include restoration of 3,000 linear feet of riparian corridor through invasive vegetation removal and native plant species installation; sediment removal to increase water storage capacity by 27 acre-feet; installation of three stormwater treatment units designed to remove sediment, trash, and debris from runoff; and construction of walking trails for recreational access. These improvements are designed to address hydrological degradation caused by prolonged drought and development, thereby enhancing water quality, reducing water temperatures, restoring aquatic and riparian habitat, and increasing drought resilience for the region's water supply. The project benefits historically disadvantaged communities in Brownsville and Cameron County and resulted from extensive collaboration among the City of Brownsville, irrigation districts, community groups, and stakeholders aligned with the Imagine Brownsville Comprehensive Plan.

Resaces are former distributaries of the RIO grande river, formed by natural flooding cycles over thousands of years. Resaca DE LA guerra is used as storage for potable supply and serve as important fish and wildlife habitat. Prolonged drought and development have altered the resaca hydrology, resulting in degraded water quality, increased water temperatures, reduced water storage, and impaired aquatic and riparian habitat. The utilities board will restore 3,000 linear feet of riparian corridor by removing invasive vegetation and planting native plant species, remove sediment to add 27 acre-feet of storage capacity, install three stormwater treatment units that will remove sediment, trash, and debris from runoff entering the resaca, and add walking trails. The restored resaca will improve resilience of community water sources, restore essential aquatic and riparian habitat, and add new recreation opportunities for nearby historically disadvantaged communities in the city of brownsville and cameron county, texas. This project is the result of extensive collaboration between the city of brownsville, irrigation districts, community groups, as well as local stakeholders and political organizations, and is identified in the imagine brownsville comprehensive plan.