Flood warning issued for Laredo and South Texas

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with information from the City of Laredo)

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A flood warning has been issued for the Rio Grande for the South Texas border town of Laredo and Webb County.

The National Weather Service on Monday morning warned that the international river could swell through Thursday evening and cause “minor flooding.”

The City of Laredo on Monday evening said river levels may reach 16 feet at the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge, which could cause minor flooding on Wednesday and Thursday.

The city said river levels may reach 10.2 feet at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge and could impact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection parking lot at that bridge.

The river was only at 1.3-feet on Monday, the National Weather Service said.

The City of Laredo has activated its Emergency Operations Center with stakeholders in Webb County, Rio Bravo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, officials said.

Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño is urging residents to stay alert and be prepared as conditions could change quickly depending upon continued rainfall upstream.

Real-time weather information can be found here

Martin Castro, watershed director for the nonprofit Rio Grande International Study Center, told Border Report on Monday that flooding is not expected to occur unless the river exceeds 10 feet, and usually closer to 15 feet.

He said that any increase in water to the river will benefit farmers, ranchers and municipalities down river in the Rio Grande Valley. And could help to boost water levels in the two South Texas international reservoirs.

Amistad Dam near Del Rio, Texas, was at 21% capacity on Thursday and Falcon Dam, in Starr County, was at 11.5%, according to the latest data from the Texas Watermaster’s office.

“These two reservoirs are really struggling,” Castro said.

Last year, the state’s only sugar mill shut down due to regional drought, overpopulation and a lack of water in the international river that South Texas shares with Mexico.

Hidalgo County declared an emergency due to a lack of water and several municipalities have put watering restrictions, including Laredo and Webb County, as they look for long-term solutions to meet the region’s water needs.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.