Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The City of Brownsville has launched www.brownsvilletxwatersecurity.com, giving residents one place to learn about Project Quantum, find answers to common questions and follow developments related to the community’s water future.
The website reflects the City’s commitment to keeping residents informed and making clear, accurate information easy to access. It brings together project information, frequently asked questions and supporting documents, including the memorandum of understanding, escrow agreement and Brownsville Public Utilities Board water strategy.
“We know our residents have questions about Project Quantum, and we want clear, accurate information to be easy to find,” said Mayor John Cowen Jr., City of Brownsville. “This website gives our community a place to understand the agreement, learn about the water projects and stay informed as work moves forward.”
Project Quantum establishes a framework for up to $220 million in private funding from SpaceX for qualifying water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The agreement calls for an initial $40 million contribution followed by six quarterly payments of $30 million each, deposited into an escrow account. Funding is subject to the agreement’s terms, qualifying projects and milestones.
Potential qualifying projects include the Water Renewal Project and the Southmost Regional Water Authority Optimization and Expansion Projects. The Water Renewal Project would use advanced treatment to recover and renew highly treated water for the drinking water system. The Southmost projects would optimize and expand brackish groundwater treatment.
Together, these efforts are designed to diversify the region’s water supply, strengthen its resilience to drought and help meet growing demand. Brownsville currently uses approximately 21 million gallons of water each day, with about 70 percent coming from the Rio Grande making additional, reliable water sources a priority as the community plans for drought and future growth.
The Brownsville Public Utilities Board retains control of the public water supply. The agreement does not allocate additional water to SpaceX or give the company ownership of water capacity.
“Our goal is to secure a reliable water supply for Brownsville’s families for generations to come,” said Mayor Cowen. “As this work moves forward, we’ll keep residents informed about the progress, the decisions ahead and what they mean for our community.”
Residents are encouraged to visit www.brownsvilletxwatersecurity.com and return for updates as projects advance and milestones are established.
Information source: The City of Brownsville
