Valley Municipal Utility District No. 2 (the District) provides water and wastewater (sewage) service to the residents and businesses in the Town of Rancho Viejo and River Bend. V.M.U.D. II is also responsible for the care and maintenance of the resacas.

Organization of the District

The District was created in 1972 by order of the Texas Water Development Board. The district is considered a Political Subdivision of the State of Texas, and has the authority to levy and collect property taxes on property located within the District boundaries. Valuations of property within the District are determined by the Cameron County Appraisal District. The District's taxes are collected by the Cameron County Tax Office.

The District is governed by a 5 member Board of Directors, who are elected to 4 year staggered terms. Board members must own property or reside within the District. Current Board Members are as follows:

Richard Lindeman, President
Harold Lorenz, Vice President
Chris Partridge, Secretary/Treasurer
Chuck Avery, member
Walter Hager, member

Regular Board meetings are conducted at 9 AM on the third Tuesday of every month, with special meetings called from time to time when required.

The District has a full time paid staff to conduct day to day operations.
The staff members are as follows:

Robert Burkhart, General Manager
Beverly Hunter, Office Manager
Tomas Tamayo, Chief Operator
Gloria Sanchez, Billing Clerk
Rebecca Martinez, Bookkeeper

Normal business hours are 8AM to 5PM Monday through Friday. For any business with the District, call (956) 350-4136. After hours, the phone is answered by a service and staff members are on call to handle any emergencies.

New Construction and Remodeling

The Town of Rancho Viejo review plans and issues permits for al construction within the town limits of Rancho Viejo. The District reviews construction plans for the following:

- New home site plans, to determine conflicts with existing facilities or conditions;

- Seawall or dock plans, to determine if the placement of the seawall or dock will interfere with maintenance of the Resaca system or degrade the overall quality of the Resaca;

- Sprinkler system plans, to determine the type and suitability of backflow prevention device proposed to protect the potable water supply;

- Driveway plans, to determine the type and size of drain pipes required to adequately convey storm water to the existing drainage facilities.

Ongoing operations

The District owns and operates two drinking water plants and two wastewater treatment plants. Both drinking water plants are located at 100 Adkins St., next to the water tower. One plant is a conventional surface water treatment plant, providing drinking water from water pumped from the Resaca. The other plant is a reverse osmosis treatment plant, providing near bottle quality water from brackish groundwater pumped from a well located on the District's property. Water from these two plants is blended and pumped into the distribution system for delivery to customers within the Town of Rancho Viejo and River Bend.

The District owns and maintains the water distribution facilities up to and including the water meter, which is typically located near the street property line. Wastewater lines are owned and maintained up to the customer's property line. Maintenance of water and wastewater lines beyond the meter or inside the property is the customer's responsibility.

One of the district's wastewater plants is located within the Town of Rancho Viejo near the intersection of Carmen St., and Hidalgo Avenue. The other wastewater plant is located in River Bend. The Rancho Viejo plant treats the wastewater to the state requirements and delivers the water to holding ponds, where it is used to irrigate the golf courses of Rancho Viejo Resort.

The District pumps water from the Rio Grande River and transports this water through the District's canal and Resaca system for irrigation and for treatment by the District's water treatment plant. Residents living on the Resaca can install a pump and irrigation system for watering their yard and landscaping for a nominal monthly charge. A permit for the installation of a sprinkler system must be obtained from he Town of Rancho Viejo.

The District strives to provide high quality water and top quality service, in the most efficient manner possible.