Laredo Says No to a Floodplain Garbage Dump

Rancho Viejo Waste Management spent years applying for local, state and federal approval to convert 660 acres of a 950-acre site near Laredo, TX, into a landfill. But, the land in question is in the middle of a 100-year floodplain. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s superfund sites flooding, Laredo residents and officials are cautious.

“Who builds a dump in the middle of a creek? When did that become a good idea?” Laredo City councilman George Altgelt told the Texas Tribune.

Federal Emergency Management Agency maps show the land has a 1% chance of flooding – hence the 100-year designation. However, the incidences of massive floods have increased since federal floodplain designations were made. “Every standard we have out there relative to flooding is obsolete or potentially obsolete in the Houston area,” said Jim Blackburn with Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center. “I suspect the same is true throughout Texas.”

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