Presidio is suing the Trump administration, saying its plan to replace a levee with a concrete wall could put the town at risk of catastrophic floods.
A Texas town is suing the Trump administration, claiming that a proposed segment of the border wall will jeopardize a local levee system designed to protect Presidio and surrounding communities from flooding, reports Liam Smith in Pulptastic.
"The town argues that building a border wall by replacing the earthen slope of the existing levee with a concrete wall topped by 30-foot steel bollard panels could compromise flood protection in an area where flash flooding represents a serious recurring threat." The town spent millions upgrading the levees after a 2008 flood, and says the administration has not consulted or coordinated with local officials on their plans. Federal officials have waived numerous environmental regulations to accelerate border wall construction and exempt it from normally required reviews.
According to Smith, "The dispute reflects broader resistance to the wall project along the border. The Department of Homeland Security is running into opposition from landowners, environmental groups, Native American tribes and others who argue that rapid government construction endangers historical and religious sites and disrupts ways of life along the border."
Read the full story: A tiny Texas border town takes its fight against Trump’s wall to Washington
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