FY18 Rio Grande Valley Levee/Border Wall System Construction Projects

In accordance with President Biden’s Proclamation on the Termination of Emergency with Respect to the Southern Border of the U.S. and Redirection of Funds Diverted to Border Wall Construction, all border barrier construction projects have ceased. 

CBP prepared a Final Environmental Stewardship Plan (ESP) to analyze potential impacts of border barrier projects in Hidalgo County, Texas funded in Fiscal Year 2018 CBP appropriations. 

CBP proposed inserting 13.3 miles of new bollard barrier in Hidalgo County, Texas. The ESP also provides details on the best management practices associated with the project that CBP planned to implement during and after construction.

The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), pursuant to the authority granted under Section 102(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), issued an environmental waiver on October 11, 2019 covering the project described in this ESP. Although the Secretary’s waiver means CBP had legal obligations under the laws included in the waiver, the Secretary committed DHS to responsible stewardship of the nation’s valuable natural and cultural resources.

CBP developed an ESP following environmental and cultural resource surveys of the project areas, coordination and consultation with resource agencies and other interested stakeholders; evaluation of possible impacts; and identification of measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts. From July to November 2018, CBP sought public input on potential impacts to the environment, culture, and commerce, including potential socioeconomic impacts and quality of life. The comment period closed November 6, 2018. CBP used the substantive public comments to inform its environmental review of the projects.
  
On October 30, 2018, CBP held a webinar on the FY 2018 Rio Grande Valley (RGV) levee/border barrier construction projects. The webinar recordings can be found on CBP’s YouTube page. 

Levee Remediation 
CBP is currently working to remediate approximately 16 miles of non-contiguous disturbed earthen flood control levees located in Hidalgo County, Texas, within USBP’s RGV Sector, which were modified or removed in preparation for levee barrier construction. The earthen flood control levees need to be remediated with new concrete levees to ensure the safety of nearby communities from catastrophic flooding and to meet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) technical requirements for certification and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood-protection criteria. This does not include the construction of new border barrier. Maps of the levee remediation work are available under the Download Files menu.