McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- Environmentalists in South Texas are touting the benefits of a binational river conservation project that would span both sides of the Rio Grande after leaders in Laredo recently questioned the project and its future funding.
Supporters of the proposed Binational River Project in Laredo tell Border Report they are busy doing outreach with city and county officials after the city council on May 20 put an item on its agenda that threatened the future of a project they have been working on since 2022.
No action has been taken by city officials, who on May 20 promptly went into executive session and did not vote on it after dozens of supporters stormed City Hall in support of the river project.
Over 70 people showed up at City Hall, some carrying signs that read "Fund Our Future" and "Protect Our Water." Many spoke about the need for the project, especially as cities up and down the border face serious drought and a lack of water payments to the Rio Grande from Mexico.
"No decision has been made about the binational river conservation project," Laredo City Councilman David King told them. "We're doing things piece by piece."
But it could have been acted upon and that could have profoundly affected the future of this multi-million-dollar project that involves leaders on both sides of the border.
"Those monies from the federal government could have been rescinded," Martin Castro, of the nonprofit Rio Grande International Study Center, told Border Report. "The stakes were high because it really didn't hit us the magnitude of what would have occurred had a large crowd not shown up in support of this project."
An item on the council's supplemental agenda on May 20 had listed "discussion with possible action on informing the public on the City of Laredo’s position and/or commitments with regard to the Bi National River Park/Project."
The city council put the item on their agenda after Webb County Commissioners earlier this month also discussed funding for the binational river conservation project and questioned why the county must pay $2 million in local funds, and the city has committed $1.8 million. That discussion came up after supporters attended a county commissioner's meeting and reminded commissioners that they had pledged $2 million and federal funds were awarded in April based on the local funding commitments to start renovation and cleanup of Zacate Creek.
These cleanup projects are all part of the overall binational river conservation project, which has many working parts and is designed to be rolled out over several years, says Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center.
"We realized it was not a project with an end. It's an initiative and it really is a strategy to really shift the cultural narrative of Laredo in a profound way in terms of how people think about the river and the riverfront in Laredo and outside Laredo. It's a special unique place," Cortez told Border Report on Thursday.
Cortez is part of the Binational Working Group tasked with finding ways to preserve and promote the Rio Grande.
"If there were any misunderstandings we're trying to figure that out and improve communications with them," Cortez said.
Ultimately, planners would like to see trails and structures on both sides of the Rio Grande -- in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico -- that complement one another and allow visitors to enjoy and walk along the riverbank, as well as use the river in a 6-mile area.
But it's more than just physical trails and trees. Cortez says it's a philosophy of caring and sharing the Rio Grande to preserve it for the future.
That's especially important as drought and extreme heat shrink the Rio Grande.
Laredo this week implemented Stage 3 water restrictions, and Hidalgo County, 150 miles east, has declared a drought disaster.
At the May 20 council meeting, Laredo City Manager Joseph Neeb, who was hired after the project began, asked the council to allow him to study the issue more and to gather more information.
"We started pulling information together and I think there are a lot of questions that still remain," Neeb told the council, according to city video of the meeting.
Cortez says the project has, so far, brought an almost seven-to-one ratio of investment through matching grants, such as federal funds. But those funds are dependent upon local investments.
"More than anything it's to really create a new place to celebrate our place. That we can be proud to be people from the border because the story of us oftentimes told by outsiders is extremely negative. And so we want to take control of our own story and create something really special that puts Laredo and Nuevo Laredo on a map as this destination place. That's the long-term vision and goal," Cortez said.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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