Texas Water Development Board approves $10,097,281 to the City of Socorro (El Paso County) for a drainage improvement project

For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129

AUSTIN – (May 11, 2022) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved by resolution financial assistance in the amount of $10,097,281 to the City of Socorro (El Paso County), consisting of $6,664,000 in financing and $3,433,281 in grant funding from the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF). The financial assistance will allow for the planning, acquisition, design, and construction of a drainage improvement project.

In addition to the grant funding, the City could save approximately $4 million over the life of the loan by using the FIF program.

With the financial assistance approved today, the City is proposing new, strategically placed drainage culverts, the concrete lining of the Sparks Arroyo drainage channel, the construction of the proposed Stockyard Detention Basin, and the expansion of the Onion Field Retention Basin. The improvements will decrease flooding, help stop erosion, and prevent the buildup of silt banks, which also contributes to localized flooding in the City.

The approved project is eligible for FIF funding under category 2 of the 2020 Flood Intended Use Plan. This category was designated for planning, acquisition, design, and construction activities to implement flood mitigation projects.

Passed by the 86th Texas Legislature and approved by voters through a constitutional amendment in 2019, FIF was created to provide funding for drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.

The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional water and flood planning, and preparing the state water and flood plans. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.