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Fatima Reyes
CIVE 6341: Advanced Water Resources Engineering
Homework 2: Rio Grande Valley IDF curve development.
Develop an IDF curve for a County of the Valley: Hidalgo; Cameron; Willacy; and Starr using IDF coefficients developed by USGS.
TxDOT Hydraulic Design Manual will be helpful.

Cameron County - IDF Curves

15
2-yr Return Period
5-yr Return Period
10-yr Return Period
25-yr Return Period
50-yr Return Period
100-yr Return Period
Rainfall Intensity (in/hr)

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Duration (hour)
Figure 1.1 Cameron County - IDF Curves
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15 Cameron County - IDF Curves

2-yr Return Period
5-yr Return Period
10-yr Return Period
25-yr Return Period
Rainfall Intensity (in/hr)

50-yr Return Period

10
100-yr Return Period

0
5 10 15 20 30 40 50 60 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 18 24
Duration (minute and hour)

Figure 1.2 Cameron County - IDF Curves (logarithmic scale)

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Develop a 500-words summary of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy
Counties) stormwater drainage. The abstract should include the (1) Valley watershed
characteristics, (2) hydrologic patterns, (3) major drain channels, (4) responsible entities and their
flood management plans.
The Lower Rio Grande River Basin extends from Fort Quitman, Texas, along the U.S./Mexico
border, to the Gulf of Mexico. The Texas portion contributing to the Lower Rio Grande Basin
encompasses approximately 54,000 square miles, 8,100 square miles of which are “closed”
subbasins that do not contribute flows to the Lower Rio Grande Basin. The Pecos and Devils Rivers
are the principal tributaries of the Lower Rio Grande Basin. Both rivers flow into Amistad
Reservoir, located upstream of the city of Del Rio, Texas, about 600 river miles from the mouth
of the Rio Grande. Nearly all of the dependable surface water supply that is available to the Lower
Rio Grande Basin is from yields of Amistad and Falcon International Reservoirs. These reservoirs
provide controlled storage for over 8.0 million acre-feet of water owned by the United States and
Mexico, of which 2.25 million acre-feet are allocated for flood control purposes and 6.05 million
acre-feet are reserved for water supply.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley has a history of severe and frequent flooding. Problems in recent
years can be attributed to insufficient drainage systems, low permeability of the soils, blockage
by transportation and irrigation infrastructure, and inadequate topographic relief.
The Lower Rio Grande Flood Control System is operated by the International Boundary and Water
Commission (IBWC). This is a system of dams, levees, and channels, was completed to reduce the
extent of flooding along the Rio Grande. There are two diversion dams located on the river.
Anzalduas Dam is located south of Mission, Texas and is used to divert the U.S. share of
floodwaters into the U.S. interior floodway, to divert water into Mexico’s main irrigation canal,
and to release water downstream for users in both countries. Retamal Dam is located south of
Donna, Texas and is used to divert Mexico’s share of floodwaters into Mexico’s interior floodway
and to regulate flood flows downstream. Flood control works along the Rio Grande include 102
miles of levees and floodplain from Penitas, Texas to beyond Brownsville, Texas. The interior
floodway, which starts 13 levee-miles downstream from Penitas at Anzalduas Dam, is about 70
miles long and is bounded by 143 miles of levees; 68 miles on the right side and 75 miles on the
left side.
Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy Counties flood drainage ultimately consists of four existing
regional drainage systems:
1. Rio Grande System – This is a small system located in western Hidalgo County that drains
approximately 200 square miles directly to the Rio Grande River.
2. Raymondville / North Main Drainage System – This is a large system that drains the
majority of Hidalgo and Willacy Counties. The system drains approximately 1230 square
miles to the Laguna Madre Bay. The Raymondville Drain is a man-made channel that is
owned and operated by the Delta Lake Irrigation District. The North Main Drain is a man-
made channel that is owned and operated by the Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1
and Willacy County Drainage District No. 1.
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3. North Floodway / Arroyo Colorado System – This is a large system that drains
approximately 630 square miles of southern Hidalgo County and northern and central
Cameron County, but whose primary function is to convey excess Rio Grande River flood
water to the Laguna Madre Bay. The North Floodway is a manmade channel owned and
controlled by the US International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and serves a
as relief channel to the Rio Grande River. The IBWC system consists of the Banker, Main
and North Floodways. These floodways consist of a pilot channel between constructed
levees that are alongside a series of resacas. The Arroyo Colorado is the natural Rio
Grande River relief channel. Limited flood water is allowed to enter the Arroyo Colorado.
East of Harlingen, the Arroyo Colorado is a 53-mile natural channel that breaks-off the
interior floodway, is confined by high ground and 25 miles of levee; 10.5 miles on the left
side and 14.6 miles on the right side.
4. Brownsville Area Systems – The Brownsville area consists of a series of resacas, and man-
made channels connected by smaller drains and pumps with multiple outlets within an
area of approximately 570 square miles draining to the Laguna Madre Bay. Much of the
southern portion of the City of Brownsville and adjacent areas of Cameron County drain
to the Port of Brownsville Ship Channel through a city-maintained channel. A small
portion of the southernmost area is drained to the Rio Grande River through an existing
pump station.