May 25, 2008 - 11:20PM
By Jackie Leatherman/The Monitor
Construction of Hidalgo County's section of the border wall is slated to begin July 25.



A recently finalized timeline details 21 steps toward completing a total of 22 miles of a cement border wall to be built atop the county's levees by the end of this year.



"Finally, we have a timeline," said Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas. "Our goal is to be aggressive and try to stay within that timeline and get it done by the end of the year,"



But the federal government's schedule has local government and construction officials worried rain delays during the area's summer hurricane season could turn up the pressure to meet the already tight deadline for a project of this magnitude.



Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 - the entity overseeing the project - is expected to begin the fourth step in the process Tuesday: receiving feedback from federal agencies on the construction plans.



The project has been broken into seven smaller projects ranging from 0.2 miles of concrete wall to 4.35 miles.



A U.S. Department of Homeland Security office is currently housed in the McAllen office of Dannenbaum Engineering Co. - the Houston-based firm that helped design the wall.



The DHS office will serve as the headquarters for the federal officers temporarily assigned here to oversee the project. Two mobile homes also will be stationed to the east and west of McAllen to serve as construction offices.



U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security arm charged with protecting the nation's borders, and the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission, which owns and operates the levees, plan to send inspectors to the area to oversee the project.



Godfrey Garza Jr., manager of the drainage district, said a biologist also will be on site to monitor the construction crews and ensure they adhere to Homeland Security's environmental agreement with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. Earlier this year Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff waived more than 30 laws - mostly pertaining to environmental protection - to expedite the project.



Congress has mandated that DHS construct 670 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers along the southern international border by the end of this year to bolster national security and curb illegal entry from Mexico.



Communities across the Rio Grande Valley immediately opposed the department's original plans to construct a fence in the area, arguing the fence would mean loss of land, adverse environmental effects and damage to cultural and economic ties with Mexico.



About the same time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared parts of the levee system. County officials then decided to convince the federal government to change plans from a fence to a concrete floodwall that would also serve to secure the border with Mexico.



Homeland Security is paying up to $88 million for border wall construction only. Hidalgo County is paying $65 million out of a $100 million voter-approved bond issue being used to repair portions of the levee system, some of which would be border wall sites. County officials are seeking reimbursement, however, because the levees are a federal responsibility.



The county is using the remaining $35 million to improve ditches that carry floodwater from the area to the Gulf Coast.



The Texas Border Coalition - a group of border mayors, county judges and local economic development officials that advocates on behalf of communities along the Texas-Mexico border - sued DHS earlier this month, claiming the department did not properly negotiate prices for land needed to build the barrier.



The group is seeking an injunction to halt construction of the barrier along the southern border.



Local and federal officials say the lawsuit will not delay construction of the border wall slated to begin by end of July in Hidalgo County .





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in Hidalgo County.