Unincorporated and Underserved: Critical Stormwater Infrastructure Challenges in South Texas Colonias

Abstract

Most strategies for addressing environmental and climate injustices in the United States are predicated on strong local governance tools, oftentimes tied to land use and zoning. There is, however, no right to local governance in the United States—a serious issue considering an estimated one-third of residents live in unincorporated areas. As a result, many unincorporated communities struggle to receive adequate stormwater management, particularly in the face of climate change. In this article, the effects of unincorporated status are examined in relation to (in)equitable access to stormwater management in the Lower Río Grande Valley of South Texas. Within this region, low-income unincorporated communities known as “colonias,” unincorporated neighborhoods along the U.S./Mexico border that historically lack access to basic services and infrastructure, form the primary focus of this case study. Recently, several major rainstorms provoked the Texas Water Development Board to identify the scope and source of colonia flooding through a flooding survey. Evaluating this assessment against interviews and participant observations from 2014 to 2020, the source of flood injustice in rural communities emerges as limited available flood mitigation strategies, consistent “no's” from government agencies at all levels, and complex flooding sources complicating equitably addressing flood risks. From this case study, the article suggests how planners and policymakers can provide a path forward to equitably protect unincorporated low-income communities from risks and hazards. Primarily, the lack of mitigation strategies for unincorporated communities constitutes a major injustice when addressing environmental risks and hazards.