CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There are concerns over how our area colonias will continue to hold up under all of the recent rainfall.
Those communities are often built on low-lying farmland and lack basic services such as water and solid waste. In many of those places, there is poor drainage and dirt roads.
One colonia, located off Rose Acres, has been left basically a muddy mess after all the rain.
It's believed that there could be up to 200 colonias in Nueces County, although officially only around three dozen are recognized. Those communities are defined by the state as places where people lack basic services, such as drinking water, sewage treatment, and paved roads.
Also, flooding is a common problem.
"They don't have a voice. It's very hard to live out in the colonias," said South Texas Calonia native Lionel Lopez.
For some 50 years, Lionel Lopez and his South Texas Colonia Initiative have been working to help those who live in the colonias and pushing elected leaders to do more. He said that when we get significant amounts of rain, he immediately is worried about flooding in those communities, which usually sit on low-lying farmland.
"Those cotton fields and grain fields will flood into the Colonias. Eventually, it will if it keeps raining, it will flood," he said.
Flooding was at a minimum during this rain event, but one commissioner says just hearing about the possibility of a heavy downpour always has him concerned.
"Anytime it rains I always cringe. I do. Because I know that there are areas in need of help," said Nueces County Pct. 2 Commissioner John Marez.
Marez said he's been working to fix the flooding problems.
"There is so much work that needs to be done that we are far from getting it fixed but it's not just going to be a Nueces County solution. It's going to take the state and federal government to help us as well," he said.
Marez said it would take tens of millions of dollars to solve all of the problems facing colonias. He's hoping that the Tri-County drainage study that the County is a part of will help create a plan to fix flooding and present the results to the state in the hope of getting grant dollars to change the face of these impoverished areas.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- TOOL to perform at the American Bank Center in January
- Need county information? Nueces County's original web site is fully operational
- Suspect in Persimmon Street murder case pleads not guilty
- Blue Angels will skip NAS-Kingsville in 2024
- U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas case about whether domestic violence suspects can be banned from having guns
- Stunning first photos taken by new European space telescope unveiled
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your daily news and exclusive extended interviews.
Do you have a news tip? Tell 3!
Email tell3@kiiitv.com so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.