(From left) Former Wharton Mayor Domingo Montalvo, Col. Rhett Blackmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District commander, and distinguished representatives from the City of Wharton and USACE break ground on the Colorado River Levee Project Phase 1 during a ceremony in Wharton, Texas, November 29, 2023. The project will address Wharton’s significant flooding issues due to its proximity to the Colorado River, Caney Creek, Baughman Slough, Peach Creek, and low elevations across the region.