ALAMO--CHANNEL 5 NEWS is following up after we first told you Wednesday a North Alamo Colonia asked Hidalgo County for help with their drainage system. People living off of Apache Trail and Sioux Road tell CHANNEL 5 NEWS even the smallest amount of rain can flood their neighborhood. They say the flooding water brings human waste up from their septic tanks, making a mess.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS spoke to the county Thursday about what they are doing to help.

Hidalgo County says drainage is one of the county’s most important issues. County commissioners serve on the board of directors for drainage district one. Right now, the county along with the drainage district and the irrigation district are working together on several drainage projects throughout the county. This colonia is included.

Precinct One Commissioner David Fuentes described the problem the colonia is seeing with their drainage similar to five lanes of the expressway, suddenly cut down to two. He says the drainage is “choked.” Right now the drainage district is working to acquire the right of way to some land it needs for improvements.

“Once the drainage district starts working in there they’re going to release that bottleneck,” said Fuentes.

The county expects to get the land within the next 60 to 120 days. That’s when they’ll be able to increase the size of the pipe the water drains out of.

“With that greater volume, you can get more water out more quickly,” said Fuentes.

Precinct One is home to close to 800 colonias and subdivisions, one of the largest concentrations in the state. They say they’re working to address issues similar to this one across the county.

“How are we going to create an infrastructure plan for these colonias that were designed and built and populated and now have density within their neighborhood and they don’t have appropriate infrastructure for storm sewer relief or for sewage,” Fuentes said explaining the problem.

The county needs help from people living nearby problem areas. CHANNEL 5 NEWS found garbage illegally dumped in a drainage ditch behind the colonia, something that could contribute to flooding in the area. Fuentes says if you’re experiencing or see a problem, the process to fix it could be sped up if you report it. P1 contact information can be found here.

We also asked the county about acquiring funds to get this and nearby colonias and subdivision hooked up to sewage. They tell us even though sewage isn’t their responsibility, they are looking into different types of studies and grants that could help pay for needed improvements.