Congressman Gonzalez Announces $9.9M HUD Award for Hidalgo County Drainage Project

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced a $9,858,499.20 grant for Hidalgo County under the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's 2015 Most Impacted and Distressed program and Texas General Land Office (GLO). The award will fund Phase I of the Main Floodwater Channel Expansion Project – a critical drainage infrastructure improvement project aimed at mitigating the impact of future flooding events in Hidalgo County.

Phase I of the Main Floodwater Channel Expansion will expand the width of the Main Floodwater Channel's capacity and will help mitigate flooding and protect the properties of homeowners in flood-prone areas.

"As climate change continues to increase the number of flooding events we experience, we must upgrade our infrastructure to be prepared for the worst of storms. This drainage project is the first of many infrastructure upgrades that we must continue to fund to mitigate future disasters," said Congressman Gonzalez. "I will continue to work with my local and federal partners to ensure that we are securing funds for these important investments."

Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David Fuentes and Precinct 4 Commissioner Ellie Torres played a vital role in promoting the project and emphasizing its importance to agency representatives and officials at the state and federal levels. Fuentes and Torres, with the assistance of members of the South Texas federal legislative delegation, visited with officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Development and communicated frequently with officials at the state GLO to impress the need for this project.

"I am grateful that GLO recognized the importance of this project and identified it as a high priority to mitigate the effects of widespread flooding that has long impacted our area," Commissioner Fuentes said. "On behalf of my precinct, my colleagues on the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court, and all the residents of Hidalgo County who will benefit from this mitigation project, we sincerely thank our partners at HUD and GLO, as well as our legislative representatives at the federal level, including U. S. Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, who were instrumental in supporting our efforts to improve drainage infrastructure and future-proof our area against flooding in the future."

More information on the award can befound here.

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