Millions are flowing into the Valley’s water infrastructure. A new program aims to train the workers needed to run it.

The Rio Grande Valley is expected to receive an influx of water infrastructure funding in the coming years, but there’s a shortage of qualified workers inside wastewater treatment plants to support the expansion efforts.

For example, more than $200 million in water projects were submitted to the North American Development Bank’s water conservation fund in recent weeks, out of a $400 million fund. 

Plus, over the next decade, between 30% and 50% of the wastewater treatment workforce is expected to retire nationwide, exacerbating the issue. 

Several months ago, that reality became clear to Julian Alvarez, former Texas Workforce Commissioner and an executive at Lone Star National Bank, during a presentation on the Valley’s water infrastructure needs at a meeting with the North American Development Bank, he said.

“There were many municipalities that were applying for grants through NADBank, but unfortunately, they could get the funding, but they just didn’t have the technicians that could actually operate those facilities,” Alvarez said. 

So he sought to change that reality and coordinated a new effort to recruit and train the next generation of water industry workers — the Skills for Sustainability water workforce development initiative, which will focus on wastewater operator and heavy equipment operator certificates. 

Now, there’s an $80,000 grant earmarked for the Rio Grande Valley to develop vocational certificates for wastewater treatment operators from the NADBank, a binational organization dedicated to economic development and environmental sustainability along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The program, expected to run between March 2025 and January 2027, is a collaboration with the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, where Alvarez was the former CEO; the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Trust for the Americas; and South Texas College. Matching funds and strategic support are expected from economic development corporations from across the Valley and the Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley. 

“This expanded effort in the Rio Grande Valley will accelerate economic mobility, close critical workforce gaps in the water sector, and equip local residents with the skills needed to sustain the region’s infrastructure and long-term growth,” NADBank Managing Director John Beckham said in a news release. 

The grant will support upskilling 19 workers at McAllen Public Utilities in backhoe safety, environmental stewardship, and workforce readiness, as well as 30 new workers from low-income communities in obtaining Texas Commission on Environmental Quality certifications and entry-level wastewater treatment jobs. 

The goal is for employers to offer employment to trainees upon completion of the program. 

The initiative is based on a pilot program El Paso began conducting in 2023, when the water utility sought a major expansion of its wastewater treatment plant and needed a steady pipeline of workers. Over several cohorts, more than 400 people graduated from the program, and 90% were placed in jobs, mostly with El Paso Water, or went on to higher education. 

“In El Paso, it took folks who were making hourly wages to now making salary wages so that we wouldn’t poach, and it was a really good way to retain some of their employees,” Alvarez said. 

The shortage is not about engineers, either, but increasingly about plant operators with vocational training who regularly check pH levels, monitor water-cleaning processes, or help prevent sewage backups. 

Recruiting for work in water and wastewater treatment plants can be difficult, and retention is even harder in the industry, as other jobs that require the same skills offer higher starting pay, officials said. 

The goal is to connect with those unemployed, underemployed, new to the workforce, or working in lower-paying hourly jobs, and to offer the ability to move up without having to pay for educational training, and even remedial education courses. 

For example, the estimated cost per student for the wastewater operator certificate is $386. 

The next step is to assess the Valley’s water industry workforce shortage and determine how much and what type of training is needed, based on open job descriptions and any expansion thereafter. 

Potential employers who attended the grant meeting included the cities of McAllen, Donna, Lyford, and San Juan, the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation, El Jardin Water Supply Corporation, the Brownsville Irrigation District, and the Delta Lake Irrigation District. 

An early-career role at wastewater treatment plants pays between $12 and $18 an hour, plus benefits, depending on the municipality’s size. 

For a smaller city like Alamo, wastewater operators earn $12 an hour. In the city of Hidalgo, it’s between $15 and $17 an hour. Edinburg posted a water plant operator role for $16.72 an hour, while McAllen operators earn upwards of $18 an hour. 

These roles often require a high school diploma or GED, a commercial driver’s license, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality licenses, Spanish and English fluency, the ability to lift up to 100 pounds, and the willingness to work outdoors on weekends, nights, and holidays. 

Officials are hopeful that offering a career path for operators to become managers or department leaders, in addition to the benefits and stability of a municipal job, will be a draw in a job market where many employees worry about being replaced by artificial intelligence. 

McAllen Public Utilities, for example, was recently unable to retain a front-line employee at its water plant, said its general manager, Mark Vega. That’s because a fast-food franchise was offering $1 more per hour than the city. 

Vega says that there’s potential for more pay in a municipal job, but it’s over the long run. For example, one longtime employee is now the leader of a new backflow prevention department. 

But in general, water treatment is a tough sell, especially for those with a commercial driver’s license. 

“We’re in the business of public service, and that’s what we do. We didn’t [used to] compete with the Walmarts and Costcos — and now we even compete with Panda Express for heaven’s sake,” Vega said. “When I was 24, would I have made that decision? Maybe I would have. But the point that we have to get across to these folks is that you can create a career with municipal employment. We need to do better.”