BENAVIDES GIVES WATER-DELIVERY REPRIEVE TO STARBASE, RURAL AREAS

 By Juan Montoya

After two decades of delivering household-use water to rural residents and homeowners in what is now Starbase-by-the-Boca, Cameron County Pct. 1 commissioner Sofia Benavides has granted them a reprieve until Nov. 15.

In a letter mailed to residents at Starbase – previously Koepernik Shores – Benavides stated that "Effective Nov. 15, 2025, the delivery of non-potable water will be permanently discontinued..."

Her reprieve overturns a decision by Cameron County Administrator Pete Sepulveda made last June to abruptly stop the delivery of water to top off the tanks at the residences there and other rural homes and ranchitos along Highway 4. 

Originally, the deliveries by the road-and-bridge precinct started as a goodwill gesture in the early 1990s which the county initiated in combination with their monthly cleaning of trash at Boca Chica in accordance with an agreement with the Texas General Land Office.

That prompted an outcry from rural residents and other Starbase residents who have become used to having the water delivered for a $15 monthly fee to pay the Brownsville Public Utility Board (PUB) for the water.

But the delivery – started as humanitarian gesture for the isolated subdivision by then-commissioner Lucino Rosenbaum Jr. – is now considered an entitlement by some residents who said the cutoff left them "high and dry" and demanded that they be reinstated. They have lobbied state officials in Austin, including State Senator Adam Hinojosa, (D-27), demanding that the service be restored. 

"Cameron County is not a water utility, nor a TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) authorized water delivery service, and is not required to provide non-potable water to anyone living in Cameron County whether it be in Precinct 1 or any other rural area," Benavides' wrote. 

"The service was performed as a courtesy...without any requirement to do so or expectation of reimbursement by county residents. While it has been our privilege to serve the community in this way, we are no longer able to continue the delivery of non-potable water, unfortunately...We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we transition away from this service."

In the letter, Benavides recommends that rural residents contact Starbase – now incorporated into a city – to make arrangements to to get non-potable water or "contact any of the water-delivery companies" in the county to set up service for water.

Coincidentally, the Starbase city council has scheduled a meeting for this Wednesday where the agenda includes a presentation by the city manager to address the availability of water in the city.

"Neither the state or the county are obligated to provide water delivery services to the rural residents out there," said Zeke Silva, Senator Hinojosa's community outreach representative. "They knew that there was no water out there when they decided to live in that rural area. They have to make the arrangements to take care of the problem for themselves until Starbase finalizes its plans to provide water services for the residents there. We'll assist them in any way we can."

The Starbase city meeting is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 20 at 39046 LBJ Boulevard.