EDINBURG, Texas (Border Report) — A South Texas lawmaker on Wednesday asked Gov. Greg Abbott to declare an emergency due to what he calls a “water crisis” in the Rio Grande Valley.
Texas state Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, sent Abbott a letter Wednesday asking for additional state assistance to save agriculture in the region, which is suffering due to a lack of water to grow crops.
A 50-year-old sugar mill closed last month and border communities are considering hard water conservation methods — that could include halting future housing developments — because of dwindling water reserves due to water owed the United States by Mexico.
“Please declare a state of disaster in our region,” Canales wrote. “The situation has reached a point of crisis, and I believe a declaration of emergency is essential to mobilize the necessary resources and support for our community.”
Canales also asked the Republican governor to urge the Democratic-led Biden administration and its State Department to take action to prompt Mexico to pay water that it owes to the United States under a 1944 international treaty.
Mexico has paid barely one year’s worth of water in the current five-year water cycle, which ends in October 2025, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).
Technically, Mexico is not in debt until the 5-year cycle ends, but environmental experts fear short of a major hurricane striking the region, that there will be no way for Mexico to pay the water it owes in the remaining 19 months.
Under the treaty, Mexico must deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water by the deadline, an average of about 350,000 acre-feet per year. But as of Saturday, Mexico has only paid 382,538 acre-feet of water, according to the IBWC.
“Lower Rio Grande Valley farmers are running out of vital irrigation water. Compounding this
issue is the alarming delay by Mexico in fulfilling its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty, exacerbating the water shortage for our local farmers. We must find a means of applying pressure on Mexico to comply with the treaty and release the water owed to the United States,” Canales wrote.
Over 500 workers lost their jobs last month when Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc., closed in Santa Rosa, Texas. The sugar mill was one of only three nationally, including one in Louisiana and one in Florida.
The City of Mission is considering a moratorium on new housing developments over five acres for 60 days to conserve water. Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza told Border Report the city could vote on it during their April 8 meeting.
Canales said he sent the letter to catch Austin and Washington, D.C.’s ear on a potentially deadly situation on the border.
“The Rio Grande Valley can not continue to rely on luck to ensure there is enough water for our region’s farmers and residents. The time to act is now. Our area’s only path forward is greater collaboration on a regional approach to securing new water sources. This will require concerted effort and coordination among irrigation districts, water providers, and area leaders, and I believe that with the governor’s support, we can work together to pave the way for a sustainable and secure water future for our region,” Canales said in a statement.
Border Report reached out to the governor’s office and asked if he intends to take action. This story will be updated if information is received.
IBWC U.S. Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner is planning a visit on Tuesday to the Rio Grande Valley to hold an agency meeting in the border town of Mercedes.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
