Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Concern about the safety of Amistad Dam resurfaced recently during a meeting of Val Verde County Commissioners Court.
Lori Reyes, the owner of a small business who lives in an area of Val Verde County northwest of the Del Rio city limits, spoke to the court during the citizen comments portion of its Dec. 20 meeting.
“I’d like to call your attention to a statement made earlier this month by the commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission regarding the Amistad Dam. She stated, ‘Amistad has been declared by the (Army) Corps of Engineers as potentially unsafe. It’s a Level 2; there’s a Level 1, which is an even higher level of urgency’,” Reyes told the court.
According to reports from news agencies who covered the meeting, U.S. IBWC Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner made her comments about the Amistad Dam during a meeting in Mercedes, Texas, on Dec. 5. The meeting had been set to discuss water they could get from the Rio Grande during drought conditions.
During the meeting, Giner said needed repairs at Amistad Dam are likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and told stakeholders present at the meeting “issues (at Amistad Dam) are long overdue and need to be addressed.”
Reyes also told the court, “In a report issued by the IBWC in 2007, they encouraged the development and testing of evacuation plans by local jurisdictions responsible for flood-prone areas. Are there any evacuation plans in place if the Amistad Dam fails?
“The sinkholes that require repair are on the Mexican side of the dam. It’s been nearly 16 years since that report came out, and Mexico still has not made the necessary repairs. If the dam fails, a flash flood would wipe out a large portion of Del Rio, including Vega Verde Road, likely the winery area around the winery and Qualia Drive,” Reyes said.
“Please investigate this and take steps to protect the lives of the citizens of Val Verde County,” Reyes finished.
After Reyes finished speaking, County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. asked County Attorney David Martinez, “Can I address that under ‘judge’s comments’ real quick?”
Owens said nothing further about the dam situation during the meeting.
He told the 830 Times after the meeting that he and the county’s emergency management coordinator are working with International Boundary and Water Commission officials to review the situation.
The writer can be reached at DelRioMagnoliafan@gmail.com .
