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As the Rio Grande Valley grows, the infrastructure required to support that growth must keep pace. For East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation (ERHWSC), expanding water capacity requires long-range planning, significant infrastructure investment, and a funding strategy that can meet future demand while limiting the burden placed on its members.
I recently joined other members of our Economic Development and Public Funds team for a visit with Brian E. Macmanus, P.E., General Manager, ERHWSC and his team to see that work firsthand. The projects underway illustrate the connection between public infrastructure, responsible funding, and the long-term economic capacity of a community.
Reliable water capacity is foundational to the long-term stability of a community. It supports residents, agriculture, business activity, and future development, and ultimately determines whether a community has the resources to sustain that growth over time. That is especially important in a region where water is a finite resource and long-term capacity must be planned well before demand arrives.
ERHWSC’s Board of Directors is especially focused on the long-term reliability of the Rio Grande as a water source. During periods of drought, conveying water from the river to the corporation’s treatment plants becomes increasingly difficult, raising the real risk that customers’ taps could run dry. That concern is driving the Board’s commitment to strengthening the system so the communities it serves have dependable water today and for years to come.
Reverse osmosis is central to that work. The technology allows ERHWSC to treat brackish groundwater that otherwise could not serve as a dependable water source, extending available supply for the communities, families, and businesses that rely on it. Brackish water is saltier than fresh water but far less salty than seawater, and reverse osmosis removes that excess salt to make it safe to drink.
“To accommodate anticipated growth, it is critical to prioritize an immediate increase in overall capacity,” – Brian Macmanus, P.E., General Manager, East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation
ERHWSC was selected to receive $146.3 million in funding from the Texas Water Development Board for projects supporting enhanced surface-water treatment and brackish groundwater desalination. Approximately $109 million, or 74.68%, of the funding was awarded as grants rather than loans, reducing the portion of the investment that must be supported through member rates.
The work also includes improvements that conserve the water already moving through the system. ERHWSC is replacing aging lines where leaks can result in significant water loss. At the scale of a public water system, replacing large distribution lines is itself a conservation measure, protecting water that has already been sourced and treated.
The scale of ERHWSC’s system makes long-range planning essential. Its infrastructure serves thousands of households and businesses today while supporting communities that continue to grow.
Brian’s approach demonstrates the value of planning beyond immediate demand. He is unusually well versed in the state programs available to public entities and has developed strong working relationships with the agencies administering them. That knowledge and preparation position ERHWSC to pursue resources strategically and prepare for needs that may be years away.
That preparation illustrates the connection between infrastructure and economic development. Water capacity influences where communities can expand, where businesses can invest, and how a region prepares for additional population and economic activity.
Our relationship with ERHWSC gives us the opportunity to see that work firsthand. Because our Economic Development and Public Funds team works with state agencies and understands the programs and requirements surrounding these funds, we have useful context for projects of this scale. Brian and his team deserve the credit for identifying the opportunities and putting them to work for the communities ERHWSC serves.
The greater significance lies in what those efforts make possible. Expanding supply, modernizing infrastructure, and preparing for future demand strengthen one of the basic systems on which the surrounding community depends.
Water systems rarely draw attention when they are working as intended. Their value is measured over time, in the capacity they create for housing, agriculture, business investment, and continued regional growth. The planning underway at ERHWSC is designed to preserve that capacity as demand increases. Learn more about East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation: https://erhwsc.com/
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