Water Master: River Under Control
Jul. 23–ROMA — Despite a precautionary advisory from police officials Friday night to residents living in the De Le Cruz subdivision that the Rio Grande could overflow, water administrators say everything is under control.
Rio Grande Water Master Carlos Rubinstein says heavy rainfall from Hurricane Emily on Wednesday has caused the Rio Alamo reservoir that feeds into the Rio Grande to reach its peak flow, but that the river should be able to stay within the channel.
As of Friday night, water crews and the local police and fire department continued to watch over the river along Roma and Los Ebanos. Officials are also working to prevent the river’s overflow into the Brownsville/Matamoros area.
“There is no reason to panic,” said Carlos Marin, principal engineer for the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. “A large inflow came in but it shouldn’t be causing problems along the Rio Grande. The reservoir will be cycling as the water moves on down through arroyos and everything should go back to normal.”
Evacuations of the immediate area, which sits about 500 feet from the river, were unlikely Friday, Rubenstein said. However, the public will be alerted if conditions change.
“By the time it gets to another point it could be less at its peak. It hasn’t increased yet but crews will monitor it through the weekend with support units ready to respond is something should happen,” Marin said
Before the storm hit, officials kept a close eye on two other reservoirs — El Cuchillo and Marte R. Gomez — which also faced the possibility of exceeding water capacity. However, neither is part of the same water system in question.
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