Because the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas leaders look to new water provides to maintain development

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This text is a part of Operating Out, an occasional collection about Texas’ water disaster. Learn extra tales concerning the threats going through Texas’ water provide right here.

MISSION — Greater than 100 years in the past, builders lured farmers to the Rio Grande Valley by advertising the “Magic Valley,” a tropical place of plentiful water the place crops develop year-round.

The veracity of that advertising was questionable.

For one, the state’s most southern area just isn’t a valley, however a delta. Secondly, periodic drought affected the realm even then.

Regardless, farmers got here from all around the nation, growing the realm into one of many largest producers of citrus within the nation. Farmers additionally grew varied greens, sugarcane and cotton, using the water from the Rio Grande, one of many nation’s most iconic rivers.

Cities akin to McAllen, Mission and Weslaco sprang up, utilizing the irrigation water to hold the municipal water to their remedy amenities, growing demand on the river, even when drought existed.

The strain between water provide and demand has been a problem for many years. And now, metropolis and county leaders all through the Valley imagine the issue has come to a head. Water ranges on the two worldwide reservoirs that retailer the river water provide for South Texas reached report lows final 12 months, and water ranges proceed to hover round 20%.

On the identical time the Rio Grande runs dry, the South Texas inhabitants is quickly growing. Officers cautious of slowing development are in search of various water provides, together with groundwater and new methods to recycle water. However these take time, and if options aren’t discovered quick, the area’s development and financial prosperity might be stunted.

“Once we discuss concerning the wants for water, they’re actual wants and we do have an issue,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez. “I think that we all want to solve the problem and do the best that we can with the situation, and I see a lot of us working together to try to reach that balance between the needs of municipalities and the needs of agriculture.”

South Texas’ water struggles mirror a lot of the state. Texas’ water provide is beneath duress from a rising inhabitants and elevated business, local weather change and outdated infrastructure that loses billions of gallons of water yearly.

The Rio Grande Valley area wouldn’t have sufficient water to satisfy demand for cities, farming, and energy era if the state have been struck by a historic drought, much like the one within the Fifties, based on state information. And demand for municipal water is barely anticipated to extend over the subsequent a number of many years, with no enhance in provide on the horizon.

State lawmakers have pledged to save lots of the state’s water. In Austin, they’re debating a multi-billion-dollar bundle that might assist cities and different native water businesses restore damaged pipes and discover methods to create new water, akin to a undertaking into account right here that might recycle drain water.

The area will want as a lot assist as it could actually get because it faces the daunting job of diversifying its water provide, utilizing much less of the water from its namesake river, and turning to no matter water is trapped underground.

The Valley’s farmers and ranchers have for many years warned of catastrophe. Whole agricultural industries have collapsed as a result of lack of water within the area.

Extra lately, they’ve led the cost in demanding that Mexico ship water to the area, as required beneath a 1944 treaty. Whereas their efforts seem to have paid off — the U.S. lately introduced an replace to that treaty — information suggests excessive warmth has siphoned the Rio Grande, as nicely.

Areas alongside the Rio Grande and far of Northeastern Mexico are in a very dry interval, stated John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas State Climatologist and director of the Southern Regional Local weather Heart.

The middle displays drought, tracks water ranges and water restrictions throughout the state.

Hotter days imply that water evaporates sooner, which results in extra water misplaced from the floor of lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Maybe few within the area heeded the farmers’ warning as a result of there was little risk to cities and their fast development. Till now.

Between 2010 and 2020, the decrease valley added greater than 100,000 individuals. The McAllen space’s inhabitants grew by about 12%, barely slower than the statewide common of 15% throughout that decade.

Nick Rhodes constructed homes for a lot of of them. He’s the CEO of Rhodes Enterprises, the biggest homebuilder within the Valley. His firm faces a brand new problem, securing sufficient water rights obligatory to construct houses for all of the individuals transferring to South Texas.

“We have developed subdivisions in Mission, McAllen, Edinburg, San Juan, Weslaco, Harlingen, Brownsville,” he stated. “Water is a concern everywhere.”

Growth hasn’t stopped however, absent a long-term answer, development might gradual and result in an increase in dwelling costs.

“Home prices would, for sure, go up locally, and I think it would deter new job growth,” Rhodes stated. “If you cannot construct housing, you then’re not going to draw that job creation — factories, new firms, issues like that.”

Water rights assist the state handle floor water just like the Rio Grande and different rivers and lakes. They’re granted by the state to farmers, cities, companies, irrigation districts, and different entities.

Cities and water districts within the area have additionally taken steps to preserve what they’ve. Many started issuing water restrictions in 2023 and, in September, they joined Hidalgo County to signal onto a uniform drought contingency plan.

The aim is to have uniform triggers amongst them in order that residents can perceive the varied drought conservation phases.

If water ranges drop drastically, these restrictions might have an effect on constructing permits.

“We’re not at that point yet, but it’s definitely a major concern,” Rhodes stated. “If something doesn’t change for X number of years, we’re going to run out of water.”

Final 12 months, Mission metropolis leaders thought of issuing a moratorium on new developments bigger than 5 acres resulting from water shortage. The town council didn’t undergo with it, however in April 2024, they put in place a payment to builders who didn’t acquire extra rights to water from the river.

Like Mission, many cities — or the water provide firm that gives water to that space — both require builders to acquire water rights or cost the developer a payment in order that town might acquire these rights.

However each metropolis and water company is totally different and the charges they select to impose can impression the place development occurs.

The west aspect of Hidalgo County lacks the sturdy residential and business growth that has been facilitated in different components of the county. It’s evident driving down the freeway. Whereas the drive eastward to Weslaco is busy with companies lining the frontage street, the drive west to Sullivan Metropolis is much less so, with large open areas lining the route.

Rhodes stated that’s as a result of water acquisition charges charged by the water provider to the realm, the Agua Particular Utility District, that are greater than what you may discover in McAllen or Edinburg.

Agua expenses a payment of $1,175.00 per dwelling whereas the North Alamo Water Provide Company, which offers water to components of Edinburg, jap Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and northwestern Cameron County, expenses charges that vary from $225 to $850.

“In some of these water districts in Cameron County, the fees have gotten so high, stuff actually won’t develop,” Rhodes stated.

Larger acquisition charges might be pushed by a scarcity of water or the associated fee to deal with the obtainable provide. It will probably additionally assist maintain water charges for the eventual home-owner low. Whatever the purpose, it’s nonetheless impacting development.

The Agua water district reported that drought situations led to a lower in development in 2024.

“Although water revenue is variable and depends on climatic conditions, the District has seen a decrease in year-to-year revenue due to lower consumption and slower growth in new accounts, resulting from drought conditions,” Roberto J. Salinas, the final supervisor, wrote in a letter accompanying the district’s 2025 finances.

This concern over a higher slowdown in development comes at a time when the Valley and northern Mexico are collectively making an attempt to draw new companies into the realm.

Final 12 months, regional companions launched an initiative to rebrand the realm because the “RioPlex” to spotlight the area’s property, together with 4 seaports, seven airports, 13 worldwide bridges, greater than 100,000 college college students and roughly 2.8 to three.5 million residents within the Valley and northern Tamaulipas.

This advertising technique is a component of a bigger effort to deliver higher-paying jobs to the Valley to assist elevate residents out of poverty.

“We’ve done a lot to really try to bring investment to this area,” Cortez stated.

However as officers hope to attract high-tech jobs and incentivize residents to remain within the space, they need to additionally grapple with how to make sure they’ve sufficient water for them within the years to return.

About 90% of the area, together with the agriculture business and municipalities, depend on floor water from the Rio. It’s low-cost in comparison with the associated fee it takes to deal with brackish groundwater, and it’s allowed residents to get pleasure from comparatively low water payments.

But when the Valley goes to acquire sufficient water to maintain residential and business development, individuals are going to have to simply accept they’ll must pay just a little extra, Rhodes stated.

“Everyone is addicted to this ultra-cheap river water,” Rhodes stated. “People need to understand the solution’s probably groundwater and that’s going to lead to everyone having to pay a little bit more for their water bill.”

Water from the river, together with different our bodies of water on the Earth’s floor like lakes and streams, is what is named floor water. Groundwater, in the meantime, is pumped from underground aquifers and tends to have a better focus of salts and minerals than floor water, which requires costly remedy.

Like Rhodes, Cortez stated the area should come to phrases with paying extra for water.

“Water is going to be more expensive,” Cortez stated. “We need to get together as a region to solve this regional water problem and use critical mass to reduce the cost for everybody.”

Rhodes is hopeful that metropolis and county officers will begin pushing for tasks that can make use of the groundwater obtainable.

“People have been talking about groundwater for 10-20 years, and then it’ll start raining again, and the reservoirs will go back up, and then people don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Rhodes stated. “We’re hoping this is a big enough wake up call that even if it does start raining and the reservoirs go back up, we’ve got to start addressing these issues as a community.”

Whereas cities like McAllen and Brownsville are hoping to acquire state funding to construct extra desalination vegetation that can deal with brackish groundwater, there are different efforts.

A undertaking by the Hidalgo County Drainage District surpassed a significant hurdle towards turning into a actuality.

The undertaking, known as the Delta Regional Water Administration Mission, includes capturing extra stormwater that might in any other case be misplaced to the gulf and turning it into a brand new water supply for consuming water. Diverting this water would alleviate flooding within the space.

The county bought a website for the primary remedy facility in northern Hidalgo County with plans underway to open three extra.

“With those four plants, we would provide about 18 million gallons of water on a daily basis, even in a drought situation,” Fuentes stated, which might be about 66 acre-feet of water per day, sufficient water for 73,200 individuals.

Paying for the undertaking has been a problem. It didn’t qualify for funding beneath conventional state funding fashions. Funding packages via the state takes into consideration the variety of residential customers a water provide firm has for water gross sales.

However the county drainage district received’t promote water to 1000’s of houses, they’ll be a wholesale water supplier promoting to cities or water provide firms. These water provide firms will then present water to residents.

To handle the funding concern, Fuentes and the county labored with state legislators on a invoice that might create a brand new means of contemplating tasks like theirs. Senate Invoice 1967 permits drainage districts to qualify for funding even when they don’t have historic information about water use and even when they don’t present retail water service on to customers.

The invoice obtained approval from state lawmakers earlier this month.

“We’re trying to find a solution that will help everybody around here,” Fuentes stated.

The cities of McAllen and Brownsville in addition to the North Alamo Water Provide Company, have groundwater tasks that they’re hoping to acquire funding for via the state, an indication that leaders are critical about transferring away utilizing the river as the only real water useful resource for nearly the whole area.

Fuentes views tasks just like the Delta undertaking because the golden parachute that the Valley must maintain their development, even when rainfall instantly offers vital beneficial properties to the reservoirs and calms fears for a number of months.

“This is going to happen again, this is going to happen in the next year, two years,” Fuentes stated. “Quite honestly, we thought we were answering a problem we were going to have 50 years from now.”

Reporting within the Rio Grande Valley is supported partly by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

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