Congressman Tony Gonzales Visits Del Rio to Push for Needed Amistad Dam Repairs

Congressman Tony Gonzales and Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens meet at the Amistad Dam located in Del Rio to discuss upcoming repairs.

Republican Congressman for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas, Tony Gonzales, made Del Rio one his first district visits of 2025, meeting with city and county officials to discuss numerous projects, including repairs to the Amistad Dam. 

Congressman Gonzales paid a visit to the Dam located in Val Verde County and met with Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens. With foundational issues present on both sides of the Dam that have existed for decades and challenged the dam’s integrity, both Judge Owens and Congressman Gonzales expressed their excitement with the progress being made and upcoming repairs scheduled for the Amistad Dam amid recent agreements between the United States and Mexico. 

Congressman Tony Gonzales shared this statement on his social media platforms about the visit to Amistad Dam and his meeting with Judge Owens: 

“For years my constituents have raised concerns about the poor conditions of the Amistad Dam in Del Rio and the need for structural repairs.” “It’s been a fight, but federal funds will soon be underway to make this happen. “This goes a long way to ensure public safety and water management in Del Rio.” “More to come soon!” 

“Thank you to Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens for partnering on this important project.”

During his visit to Del Rio, Gonzales also visited with Mayor Al Arreola, City Manager Shawna Burkhart and other representatives from the Del Rio and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce to discuss the city’s water supply with “plans for a high - capacity secondary water well and repairs to key infrastructure to ensure long term water sustainability.” 

Among the other topics of discussion were re-establishing air service at the Del Rio International Airport and progress on infrastructure and projects such as the Second International Bridge.