A project that will restore eight miles of the Chacon Creek and its floodplain, from Lake Casa Blanca to the Rio Grande, was approved by Congress this week, thereby crossing the toughest hurdle in the creek’s redevelopment and setting the project up for future federal funding.

“Imagine this, from Lake Casa Blanca, all the way down here, imagine walking, riding your bike and having more families out here. This will be what we’re looking for,” Laredo’s Rep. Henry Cuellar said at a news conference Friday from the Chacon Bat Park.

This project will improve flood management in the area, restore the ecosystem and create recreational amenities. Proponents of the project compare it to the redevelopment of the southern section of the San Antonio Riverwalk. But it will also involve demolishing 73 homes and relocating their residents.

In 1996, the City of Laredo received a Water Development Board grant to study the Chacon Creek. That study found that hundreds of homes had been built in the creek’s floodplain, and dozens more in the floodway, which is within the natural boundaries of the creek’s channel.

City Council in 2000 authorized a master plan to address the issues, and in 2004 it partnered with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

But it was not until this week that Congress authorized the Chacon Creek restoration project through the Water Resources Development Act of 2020. It now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature.

The Army Corp on Engineers took 16 years to study the feasibility of the project before giving their approval. Once this authorization is signed into law, the creek’s restoration will be considered a federal interest, and Congress will be able to fund it.

“The corp does hundreds of these studies every year. Very few of them, not even 1%, go to authorization,” Assistant City Manager Riazul Mia told LMT. “... This is one of those projects people like to see. This is not just a flood plain project. This is flood reduction, ecosystem restoration, wetland habitat restoration and also greenspace development.”

Because the whole project is estimated to cost $51.9 million, that money will likely need to be appropriated over the course of a few years.

Invasive species like carrizo cane and saltcedar have degraded the habitat in key areas of the creek. Environmental Services Director John Porter said that these invasive plants would be removed in this restoration project, plus small dams would be built to create reservoirs along the creek. This, along with some plantings and other wetland improvements, will cost around $30 million.

Seventy-three homes situated on Chacon’s floodway will be purchased, demolished and their residents relocated in this restoration process, estimated to cost around $12-$15 million, Porter said. These are largely in the Villa del Sol neighborhood.

“They’re in, essentially, the creek. That’s the problem, they’re in a waterway,” he said. “... Our first floodplain map was 1982. So these pre-date 1982. Then our second floodplain revision was in 2008. Before ‘82, it was kind of the Wild West of building, and there wasn’t a concerted effort to keep neighborhoods, keep homes, out of floodways.”

Rivers and creek also meander over time, Porter noted. Many structures that were not in the floodway in 1982 suddenly were in 2008.

Porter has seen these homes flooded, not necessarily from heavy rains in Laredo but when heavy rains upstream have necessitated the release of water into the Rio Grande, backing water into Chacon Creek. This has occurred twice in his recent memory.

Officials will conduct an appraisal for all 73 properties, and if homeowners accept a buyout, they will be paid to relocate to a home at or above their fair market value.

If a homeowner does not want to relocate, then the government will take it by imminent domain, Porter said.

Once these homes are demolished, the land will be used for park space, where another $15 million or so will be spent on active park improvements.

Another 250 homes lie in Chacon’s floodplain, which will not need to be moved or demolished. By opening up the floodway, the city and Army Corp of Engineers will be able to elevate these other homes out of the floodplain.

Considering that the $51.9 million in funding still needs to be appropriated, Porter estimates it could take 8 to 10 years for the entire project to be completed.

But Cuellar noted that obtaining the authorization is the most difficult part of a project such as this. Now as funding is appropriated, the project can be worked on in phases, he said.