Valley Native Leads Renewed Efforts to Protect the Arroyo Colorado Watershed
The Arroyo Colorado is one of the Rio Grande Valley’s most important waterways, serving as a major floodway and drainage system, an economic resource for barge traffic, recreation, and a habitat for native plants and wildlife.
Because of its importance, Valley native Samantha Colunga is helping lead efforts to protect and improve it.
Colunga was born and raised in Monte Alto, Texas, where her early love of science sparked dreams of becoming a marine biologist. Her interests later shifted toward engineering and environmental science. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2021 and her master’s degree in agricultural, environmental, and sustainability sciences in 2024.
Her background includes research in soil carbon, semi-arid climates, sandy soils, conservation agriculture, soil health, and reforestation. She also worked as a soil scientist with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in northwest Kansas, assisting with soil profile descriptions, wetland determinations, and beach restoration projects for groundwater recharge.
As the new Arroyo Colorado Watershed Coordinator, Colunga is now closer to family and focused on giving back to the RGV community.
In her role, she helps advance the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan, which brings together partners to address water quality, nonpoint source pollution, flooding, drainage, soil health, water quantity, and wildlife habitats. The plan grew out of concerns raised in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when studies found that the Arroyo Colorado was not meeting state water quality standards.
Today, education and community involvement remain central to the work. Flooding can carry pollutants into local waterways, and everyday actions on land can affect both surface water and groundwater.
Community members can get involved through several upcoming events, such as the Lone Star Healthy Streams and Friends Workshop at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center in Weslaco on June 23 from 8am-2pm. The workshop will also offer free water well testing for private well owners and free soil testing for hay, range, and pasture producers.
On July 11, volunteers are invited to join an Arroyo Colorado cleanup at Adolph Thomae County Jr. Park in Arroyo City.
