Charles Browning, Jr. Water Conservation Scholarship


Background:

The Rio Grande Regional Water Authority, along with Mr. Jimmie Steidinger of the Donna Irrigation District, has established a $10,000 scholarship fund at Texas A&M University-Kingsville named in honor of Charles Browning, Jr., the former general manager of the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation who passed away in May 2010. Mr. Browning was a founding member of the Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group and a state leader in the area of water utilities management.

The overall plan is to award scholarships of $2,500 per year to support one rising junior in years one and two and an additional rising junior in years three and four of the four-year scholarship term.

Application requirements:

To apply for the scholarship, applicants must:

  • Be currently enrolled, full-time undergraduate students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, who have earned at least 60 or more college credit hours;
  • Be majoring in at least one or more of the following areas: agronomy, civil or environmental engineering or wildlife science;
  • Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5; and
  • Be a resident of the one of the six counties served by the RGRWA, which includes Willacy, Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, or Webb counties.

Charles Browning, Jr. 1954 - 2010

Browningvertical

Mr. Browning was a founding member of the Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group, one of the state’s 16 regional planning groups for water supply needs. He was also a member of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Committee, and the South Texas Water Utilities Manager Association. As a member of these planning groups, Mr. Browning was known as a thoughtful leader who helped the Rio Grande Valley become less dependent on the Rio Grande as a water source.

As the general manager of the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation (NAWSC), Mr. Browning spearheaded regional partnerships to develop brackish groundwater as a reliable source of drinking water for his customers. During his tenure as general manager, the NAWSC built four brackish groundwater desalination facilities – the North Cameron Regional Water Supply Project, and the La Sara, Owassa, and Doolittle Treatment Plants – that could produce up to 11 mgd (million gallons per day).

Just days before he died, Mr. Browning signed a contract to construct a fifth brackish groundwater desalination facility to supplement the Donna Water Treatment Plant. It was the first design-build contract in Texas for a desalination facility for public water supply.

Please go to the Texas A&M University-Kingsville website, www.tamuk.edu, to apply online for this scholarship. Students matching the criteria will automatically be considered. Check the website for application deadlines.