Hidalgo County officials gathered more than 30 representatives of municipalities and water districts in an effort to initiate a uniform drought contingency plan for the region.

Officials and representatives met at the Mission Event Center on Wednesday.

According to a news release, this effort is aimed at developing uniform triggers for cities and water districts serving Hidalgo County. This is to help residents understand various drought conservation stages.

Each entity currently has its own triggers for water conservation needs, but they often differ from entity to entity, which can leave customers confused as to what to do.

The news release said the initial plan is for all cities and water districts to adopt a single contingency plan that has the same triggers. As water reserves diminish during drought conditions, every water supplying entity in the county would have the same conservation triggers that would tell residents the seriousness of the drought.

Cities and water districts will be left to their own discretion on what triggers would mean for customers and how they would be enforced. The initial plan is part of a larger effort to help create a regional water strategy that could help Hidalgo County receive more state and federal funding for water management and infrastructure, according to the news release.

The news release said the aim is to provide a regional drought contingency plan on behalf of all water supplying entities, and it would become part of a five-year plan that is required by the state.

Each representative present at the meeting was asked to return to their respective city commissions or board of directors to seek approve for the uniform drought contingency plan.

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