MODERNIZING THE BACKBONE: INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY While the revitalization of downtown is important for identity and pride, the city’s leadership knows that true quality of life depends heavily on the infrastructure humming just beneath the surface. From water and sewer to street lighting and digital tools, Alamo has moved swiftly to update systems that residents rely on every day. One of the most transformative early projects overseen by Salinas was the installation of more than 6,000 digital water meters throughout the city. Replacing traditional manually read meters, these smart devices allow the city to monitor water usage in real time, identify leaks, detect tampering, and flag abnormal consumption patterns. If a home shows continuous water use at two or three in the morning, staff can reach out proactively to homeowners to investigate, often uncovering previously undetected leaks that were wasting water and money. The new meters have also eliminated the need for meter readers to physically travel from property to property. With a single digital command, the city can capture readings from every meter in the system.The result is increased efficiency, more accurate billing, and a much more sustainable use of a precious resource. Lighting is another area where Alamo is pushing ahead. The city has committed to converting all municipal lighting to LED and is actively extending this effort across all city-owned buildings and street fixtures. An order for 88 new LED streetlights will see aging high-pressure sodium units replaced with brighter, more energy-efficient fixtures. For residents, this translates into better-lit streets and neighborhoods, an added sense of safety, and lower long-term operating costs for the municipality. Water and wastewater infrastructure are being treated with the same level of attention. Alamo recently retired its old lagoon-based wastewater system – one of the most antiquated forms of treatment – and replaced it with a modern sequencing batch reactor (SBR) plant. The new facility is one of only two in the entire Rio Grande Valley, placing Alamo at the leading edge of wastewater technology in the region. 60 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01
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