PRESIDIO, Texas — A development group based in West Texas is suing the Trump administration over border barriers, alleging officials did not obtain permission to alter a flood control levee known as the Presidio Flood Control Project (PFCP) that services the broader Presidio area.
The Presidio Municipal Development District (PMDD) filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday. The group promotes economic development and community improvement in the West Texas city, according to its website.
Listed as defendants in the lawsuit are the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott.
According to the lawsuit, the border barrier project involves replacing the earthen slope of the existing levee with a concrete wall, with 30-foot steel bollard panels installed on top.
Presidio County, located in the Big Bend region of Texas, relies on the PFCP to “protect the area from potentially devastating flooding,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleges defendants did not obtain permission to alter the levee and failed to share hydraulic analysis, flood risk assessment or engineering studies about the impacts of a “smart wall” on the levees, saying it raises “significant concerns.” It also claims that the defendants’ conduct is contrary to the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA), which manages interference with U.S. water features.
“If not properly planned and carried out, construction on the federal flood-control works in Presidio could compromise their integrity and leave the region vulnerable to deadly flash floods capable of destroying infrastructure, homes, farmland, and agriculture,” the lawsuit says. “The region’s exposure to extreme wind events and storms (including the approaching monsoon season), and its location within a seismically active geologic zone and downstream of the mountains further increase potential risks.”
Read the full lawsuit here: