Laredo council directs 30-day emergency water-storage action plan focused on Lake Casablanca

The Laredo City Council voted May 4 to direct city management to develop and implement an emergency water-storage plan within 30 days, with a stated primary objective of mobilizing Lake Casablanca as a 30'45 day emergency supply.

Mayor Victor D. Trevino said the city has a narrow margin of safety and noted the city currently has roughly "10 hours of water storage," arguing for immediate, coordinated action. Fire Chief and emergency management coordinator Guillermo Hart described the action plan framework and said short-, mid- and long-term measures are needed: short-term responses (mutual aid, bottled-water distribution), mid-term operational fixes and a long-term plan to build pumping and conveyance infrastructure to use Casablanca as an emergency reservoir.

City staff described a multi-pronged strategy that includes updating base-flood maps, replacing leaky pipe, pursuing state and federal funds for a pumping plant and dredging, and accelerating reclamation and effluent reuse. Staff estimated a larger project to prepare Casablanca for full use could be in the hundreds of millions (staff referenced a ballpark figure near $120 million) and said funding rounds and grant applications will be needed. Council voted to include the emergency management coordinator in a 30-day planning window and to report back with a plan identifying strategic storage locations and necessary political and funding steps.

What happens next: Management will prepare the action plan, identify funding options and return recommendations to council. Several council members emphasized both maximizing existing water rights and reducing operational water waste while pursuing infrastructure and reclamation investments.