MCALLEN, Texas- With industrial water demand rising and drought conditions testing supply resiliency, the Rio Grande Valley must embrace innovative conservation strategies and regional cooperation rather than jump prematurely into expensive desalination projects.
This is the view of Jim Darling, chairman of the Region M Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group and former mayor of McAllen.
Darling participated in the “Foundations for Tomorrow: Infrastructure Demand for the Rio Grande Valley” luncheon hosted Nov. 19, 2025, by the Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects (I-LinCP) Rio Grande Valley chapter at Embassy Suites in McAllen.
He explained that Region M is one of 16 state-established planning groups designed to guide strategy and project funding for utilities seeking support from the Texas Water Development Board.
“If they want to be eligible for Texas Water Development Board money, they have to be in the plan and approved by the plan,” Darling said.
Darling said seawater desalination, while technologically feasible, remains financially prohibitive for most public water systems.
Desalinated water from the Gulf could cost 10 to 13 dollars per thousand gallons, he said compared to about $2 per thousand for McAllen residents.
“So, right now, there’s other available water and strategies,” he said. “Desal maybe for the rocket place or something, but it just doesn’t work from a financial standpoint.”
Darling pointed to the success of groundwater desalination in rural areas, where the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation has built eight groundwater plants spread across its service region to minimize transmission costs.
South Texas still has multiple water sources that haven’t been fully tapped, Darling said:
“We just had a record drought and the cities had a 20% savings right there,” he said, noting that drought conservation works.
Industrial users are increasingly relying on reused water — a cleaner, lower-cost supply that preserves drinking water reserves.
“We don’t need to panic,” Darling said. “We just need to be innovative.”
He said utilities too often face monopoly restrictions on where they can serve, which limits regional collaboration.
“There’s not a lot of give-and-take about better ideas from a regional standpoint,” he said.
Texas voters recently approved $20 billion for water projects statewide over 20 years along with a new $400 million NADBank loan program to assist irrigation district upgrades.
But Darling warned the funding still falls far short of need, and many small utilities are unable to access state programs due to complex requirements.
“That’s an obstacle for the ones that probably need it the most,” he said.
Brownsville utility leader Mark Dombroski, also on the panel, agreed that Texas has $18 billion in identified water projects today and may need 10 to 20 billion dollars per year to meet statewide needs.
Darling said diplomacy remains critical in negotiations with Mexico over Rio Grande deliveries under the 1944 water sharing treaty.
He said Mexico struggles with internal politics: for every unit of water released to the U.S., two units are allocated within Tamaulipas, a political disincentive for federal officials.
“If we got rid of that two-for-one issue… it would take less pressure on internal Mexico to give us our water,” he said.
Despite disputes, Darling remains confident in the river’s long-term viability for municipal supply.
“When it’s 23% full, we’re still 100% allocated,” he said referring to the ownership of the river. “Getting it here is a little different story.”
Darling said consensus is forming among regional water leaders:
Reuse is the most practical short-term solution.
Desal is a later-stage option for specific industries.
Groundwater and river water should fill the gap.
“We have enough water in the river to get there,” he said. “We just need to take this opportunity to negotiate, innovate and work together.”
