Pressure mounts on local levee upgrades and border fence plans
Jackie Leatherman
November 19, 2007 - 7:25PM
EDINBURG — Rio Grande Valley leaders are scrambling to keep two federal projects — the border fence and repairs to levees along the Rio Grande — from colliding.

The top administrators from Hidalgo and Cameron counties went to Washington, D.C., again last week, this time to hand deliver a plan that links the two projects.

Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas says the plan would allow the two projects to go forward quickly and at the same time.

In Hidalgo County, 24 out of 27 miles of the proposed border security fence could conflict with levee repair projects, said Godfrey Garza Jr., manager of the Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1.

County officials say they have to place the levee repair upgrades on hold until plans for the border fence are finalized so they don’t have to redo any work once the fence is in place.

“We shouldn’t be waiting at all, because we need to move forward on the levees,â€