In the rural expanse of Jim Wells County in South Texas, just beyond the city limits of Alice, lies English Acres — a colonia where unpaved roads crisscross modest homes and basic infrastructure has always been a struggle. Like many colonias along the Texas-Mexico border, English Acres developed without the planning and investment needed to ensure sustainable services. The result has been decades of patchwork fixes, unreliable water service, and financial instability. 

By 2023, the English Acres Water System was in crisis. The privately owned system had been abandoned, its well was non-functional, and water lines were in severe disrepair. Electrical systems were unsafe, and residents relied on untreated water. Without meters or reliable billing records, there was no way to track usage or collect enough revenue for upkeep. Chronic compliance violations drew the attention of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which placed the system under receivership. 

The court appointed Octavio Flores, General Manager of Jim Wells County Fresh Water Supply District #1 (FWSD #1), as receiver. Known in the region for his tenacity and ability to get projects moving, Flores was described as a “mover and shaker” by Jorge Negrete, a Community Infrastructure Management Specialist at Communities Unlimited (CU) who works directly with the system. 

When Flores took over, the problems were urgent and obvious. Residents had endured periods of up to 13 days without water. The grass surrounding the facilities had grown more than six feet high, and conditions were so poor that the electrician initially hesitated to enter. Flores contacted a friend in Houston who worked with a well company, and by the next morning, a crew arrived. That same afternoon, a new pump was installed, restoring the system to operation. 

From that moment, Flores focused on stabilizing the system and setting a course for long-term sustainability. 

“The biggest improvement is that residents now have water every day,” Flores said. “We’ve cleaned up the site, repaired the system, and are running it like a business.” 

Today, English Acres still operates under a boil water notice and “do not consume” order due to the lack of a chlorination system, but Flores ensures that any well outage is resolved quickly. 

“If the well goes down, we usually have it back in service within eight hours,” he said. 

From the start, Flores’ vision was to merge English Acres — which has just 19 service connections — with the Jim Wells County system and connect it to a reliable water source: the City of Alice. This meant pursuing regionalization — the process of integrating a small, struggling system into a larger, better-resourced one. It’s a complex undertaking that can take years and requires coordination among engineers, attorneys, funding agencies, and local leaders. Before that process can be finalized, Flores must secure court approval to submit the merger application to the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC). 

That’s where CU’s Community Infrastructure Team stepped in. 

“I won’t do anything before talking to Communities Unlimited,” Flores said. “They know more than I do, so they’re the people I want on my side.” 

CU became deeply involved in 2023 when Negrete began working with Flores, providing technical assistance — from documenting system conditions to guiding compliance efforts and preparing funding applications. Together, they developed a plan for a new interconnection pipeline that would deliver treated water from the City of Alice to English Acres through the Jim Wells County system. 

The breakthrough came in May 2025, when the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) awarded a $914,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) grant to fund the construction of the interconnect. The grant covers engineering design, materials, and installation of the new line and related infrastructure. The interconnect will allow English Acres to purchase treated water, eliminating the expense and regulatory challenges of operating its own treatment facility. 

Flores called the interconnection “very important,” noting that the City of Alice “has great drinking water and a new desalination plant.” He added, “Once we’re connected, English Acres will have a reliable, high-quality water supply.” 

A public meeting is scheduled for September 24 in Alice, near English Acres, to inform residents about the interconnection. The new arrangement will be less expensive for customers than before — an added benefit beyond water quality. 

Still, regionalization is not as simple as laying pipe. Projects like this require formal agreements between systems, environmental clearances, easement acquisitions, public bidding, and construction oversight. At the time of the TWDB award, no official water contract between English Acres and Jim Wells had been signed. CU’s plan is to help facilitate the regionalization process — including getting the interconnect built and ensuring an official contract is in place. 

Negrete worked closely with Flores to navigate the legal and technical requirements, ensuring each step aligned with operational needs and funding timelines. 

In July 2025, CU Project Manager – Regionalization Janelle Saucedo joined the effort. Negrete coordinated her introduction to Flores so she could take on the project and become familiar with its scope. 

Later that month, Saucedo and Negrete met at the Jim Wells County Fresh Water Supply District office with Flores and Board Member Jake Sheeran, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture Area Director. The meeting had two purposes: to review and sign the project work plan and to lay out next steps for completing the Technical, Managerial, and Financial (TMF) Assessment required for regionalization. This assessment evaluates both systems’ capacity to operate successfully after the interconnect is complete. 

The group also met with Jim Wells County Judge Pedro Treviño to discuss the project’s status and identify areas where CU could assist. They toured both the Jim Wells system and English Acres, giving Saucedo firsthand knowledge of the needed infrastructure improvements and logistical considerations for construction. 

While this regionalization project is near the finish line, the process has not been without challenges. Communication with the state has been slow at times, with staff turnover leading to repeated requests for the same information. The absence of City of Alice staff has also delayed contract negotiations. 

“If everything went perfectly, this project would have been done in about six months,” Flores said. “But in reality, it takes years to do a regionalization project — securing funding, getting approvals, and working through all the red tape takes time.” 

This is an important reminder: regionalization can be a powerful solution, but it is not an overnight fix. That’s where CU’s role has been pivotal — helping local leaders like Flores cut through layers of red tape and keep projects moving. 

Once TWDB approves the engineering design, the project will move into construction, beginning with contractor bidding and procurement of materials. Work will include installing the interconnect pipeline, any necessary booster pumps, and related infrastructure to tie English Acres directly into the Jim Wells system. After final testing, service will be transferred, and residents will begin receiving treated water from the City of Alice through Jim Wells County Fresh Water Supply District #1. 

For residents, this interconnection will mean turning on the tap without wondering if the water is safe — a change that will transform daily life.