Brownsville to Replace Resaca Fee with Stormwater Utility Fee to Fund Major Drainage Overhaul

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The City of Brownsville is preparing a major restructuring of its utility billing to tackle severe local drainage challenges, officially ending the long-standing Resaca Restoration Fee and replacing it with a dedicated stormwater utility fee.

Addressing business owners at a Brownsville Chamber of Commerce meeting, City Manager Alan Guard announced that the city, in coordination with the Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s office, has formally departed from the multi-million-dollar federal resaca dredging framework.

Ending the Federal Resaca Project

The original resaca project—conceived in the 1990s as a $100 million initiative—had ballooned to an estimated $300 million. Guard revealed that federal execution requirements would have required the city to acquire private residential land along the resacas through eminent domain.

"They were asking the city to literally take people's property around the resacas—docks, sheds, sitting areas. Everybody said, 'That isn't going to happen,'" Guard explained.

Under the new plan, BPUB will utilize remaining accrued resaca funds to maintain the specific resacas integral to the municipal water system. Once those funds are exhausted, maintenance costs will revert to standard water fees.

Establishing the Stormwater Utility Fee

To address severe municipal flooding, the city hired a engineering consultant to design a dedicated stormwater utility.

"We have a drainage problem in town. We have some of the most expensive drainage projects in the Valley, like Four Corners at $98 million," Guard said. "When it rains heavy, there are parts of town where you are up to your wheels in water."

The new fee structure will be calculated using Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs), based on a property's total impervious surface area—including rooftops, driveways, parking lots, and concrete patios.

Guard noted that commercial properties with significant paved surfaces will receive official notices outlining projected fee assessments. Credits and discounts will be extended to commercial developers and landowners who maintain functional on-site stormwater retention or detention ponds.

The revenue generated will directly backstop $26 million to $45 million in capital improvement bonds designated exclusively for citywide flood relief and drainage engineering.

$40 Million Dedicated to Major Thoroughfares

Alongside drainage improvements, Guard detailed $40 million in debt-funded street reconstructions across four primary arterial corridors, averaging $10 million per roadway:

1. Old Highway 77: Complete street reconstruction including underground utility replacement down to 30 feet, adding sidewalks on both sides.
2. 14th Street: Corridor reconstruction and access management.
3. Coffeeport Road: Ongoing reconstruction works near primary commercial zones.
4. Old Alice Road: Major overhaul stretching from Interstate 69E to Ruben Torres Boulevard featuring complete street amenities, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.

"It is going to be super nice—and for a while, super inconvenient for those who use those roads," Guard remarked. "But when it's done, we'll have solid roadways for the next 30 to 40 years."

Editor's Note: The above news story is the second in a three-part series on the City of Brownsville's Fiscal Year 2027 budget. Click here to read Part One.