Crews in Cameron County have started drainage work north of Santa Rosa, an area that has seen years of flooding.

Heavy machinery arrived at a levee north of Santa Rosa next to the International Boundary and Water Commission floodway. It is one of three drainage projects meant to move stormwater out of the area and away from homes.

Ruben Salinas and his wife live north of Santa Rosa and want to spend their retirement there.

"It's so peaceful out here," Salinas said.

But flooding events since 2018 have changed that. The March 2025 flood was so severe that Salinas' elderly mother-in-law had to be rescued.

"We started freaking out with every rain," Salinas said. "Here we get surrounded by water."

Javier Jimenez Jr., general manager of the Cameron County Drainage District No. 6, is overseeing work on two of four new drainage crossings under the IBWC floodway.

"We’ve been waiting for this for a long time," Jimenez Jr. said.

Workers are replacing old piping with large cement crossings at four spots along the levee. Two pumps will also be added at each crossing.

"If we address these right now, we basically address between 60 to 70% of our flooding issues," Jimenez Jr. said.

The overhaul will protect people and property in areas between La Feria and Santa Rosa. The project costs $11 million and is being paid for in part by a $25 million voter bond approved by voters last November.

"We've been going through this for a long time," Salinas said.

Once two of the crossings are complete in six months, construction on the other two will begin and then be completed in another six months.

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