About Hidalgo County Drainage District 1 
Mission Statement

The mission of the Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 is to proactively manage the Hidalgo County Master Drainage System and allow for the efficient exportation of drainage water, to protect life and property for Hidalgo County residents, businesses and surrounding jurisdictions.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to improve Hidalgo County's Drainage System in order to enhance long-term economic development opportunities throughout our District by implementation of innovative technology in an environmentally conscious manner.

Core Values
  • Community driven decisions
  • Transparency
  • Stewardship of tax dollars
  • Commitment to Improving Flood Control
  • Collaboration with Local, State and Federal Entities

District Overview

 District Owned Ditches  Inter-local Ditches  Total Ditches Maintained By HCDD1
 356.57 miles  305.80 miles  662.37 miles

The HCDD No. 1 Debris Removal, Shredding & Mowing Maintenance program is active year-round. The goal of this program is to prevent drainage system blockage, or "clogs" which could potentially cause flooding in surrounding areas, and allow for storm water runoff to flow efficiently during rain events.

Shredding & Mowing Maintenance is presently upholding 662.37 miles of channels, which 356.57 miles are District owned or easement ditches and the other 305.80 miles are from local irrigation districts. Our maintenance schedule runs on an average of 5 to 6 months cycle year round.

Funding Overview

The District's revenues are primarily derived from a dedicated ad valorem property tax. The rate is variable, depending on funding needs, and is currently set at 0.1264 per 100 dollars of property valuation for the 2022 calendar year budget. From this rate, 0.0736 is calculated by our tax assessor and collector for the payment of the District's principal and interest bond payments for the year. The remainder 0.0528 is dedicated for the maintenance and operations of the District.

Capital Projects have been funded by the passage of Bond referendums in 2006 and 2012. The 2006 Bond referendum passed for $100 million and the 2012 passed for $184 million (100 million have not been called).

In November of 2018, the constituents of Hidalgo County Drainage District #1voted in favor of the District’s 2018 Bond Referendum in the amount of $190 million. The purpose of this referendum is to construct 37 designated named projects. These projects are identified on this website under “2018 Bond Projects”. In July of 2019 District sold $84 million of the $190 million which allowed the District to issue contracts for engineering, purchase right of ways and start construction of structures. In 2021 the remainder of the bonds from the 2018 Bond Referendum were sold.

For a quick look on how the 2018 Bond Program projects are developing, please visit the link for the 2018 Drainage Dashboard at:  https://www.hcdd1gis.org/2018Bond/