Work could begin later this year on the building of a new water booster station inside the massive McGregor Range just to the north of El Paso.
Funding of some $4.5 million has been secured for the project through the Defense Adjustment Assistance Grant Program, which is administered by the Texas Preparedness Commission.
The funding, to be sent to the City of El Paso, is just a part of more than $15.4 million in state grants being sent to various military installations in the Lone Star State.
In announcing the grants, Governor Greg Abbott noted the military importance of the various bases in the state, remarking: “Working together with our partners in the Texas Legislature, we will ensure these installations in Texas continue to offer unmatched military value.”
Other base infrastructure funding through the program is going for a road access project, security upgrades, and energy resiliency work.
The 700,000-acre McGregor Range, on land partially managed by the Bureau of Land Management, has long served as a training ground for soldiers based at the nearby Fort Bliss Army post, roughly 25 miles to the southeast.
The Booster Station, which was built in 1958, is the single source of water at the McGregor Range. In application papers for the project, State Senator Cesar Blanco noted the age of the facility and remarked: “With Fort Bliss growing rapidly, the need to address the range’s Booster Station is urgent.”
The U.S. Army acquired some 72,000 acres of the range in 1957 for training purposes, leading to the construction of access roads, supply buildings, laboratories, and housing facilities for the initial roughly 1,000 soldiers based there.
By Garry Boulard
