AUSTIN, Texas - The Delta Region Water Management Project will be a game changer for the Rio Grande Valley, capable of supplying water to nearly quarter of a million people once it is fully complete.
This is the view of Hidalgo County Commissioner David Fuentes, who testified on the project’s merits at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Austin last week.
However, Fuentes warned the committee, state funding for the project is being stymied by red tape.
“We are working very hard this session to pursue the funding needed to turn this project into a reality But we are still facing the same challenges I mentioned to you over a year ago because of its unique and first-of-its-kind nature, this project and its sponsor do not fit the typical metrics and criteria currently used by the FIF program, or the FIF program by the Texas Water Development Board for funding,” Fuentes told the committee.
“This is a major roadblock. We need revised rules and a criterion to allow for the Texas Water Development Board investment in innovative projects such as this one. Your support to find funding to make this forward-thinking project a reality and build a more resilient water supply for the region is absolutely necessary and needed.”
State Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock chairs the Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs panel. He appeared sympathetic to Fuentes’ cause.
“We're listening. We hear you,” Perry said. “Hopefully this session, by May, you will have an avenue to address funding for some of your projects. We're looking into those criteria. I don't know how it fits under FIF today, but we can check into that, see what those roadblocks are.”
Perry says it helps that the South Texas region has “two great senators,” referencing state Sen. Juan Hinojosa of McAllen and Adam Hinojosa of Corpus Christi.
In his testimony, Fuentes spoke about the water crisis the Valley is currently facing, referencing the large water debt Mexico owes the United States. But, he said, local leaders are taking a proactive approach.
“This is one of the most critical issues that we are facing as a community. But we are not just sitting back. We are looking at local solutions,” Fuentes said.
“Cities like McAllen and Rio Grande City have already issued stage two water restrictions to safeguard the limited supply of water. We’re also thinking outside the box for creative and realistic solutions.”
Fuentes pointed out that he testified before the same committee last year.
“I told you about the Delta Region Water Management Project, or the Delta project for short, which involves capturing water from daily drainage runoff and turning it into a new water source for potable drinking water. Hidalgo County continues to pursue this project, which is the first of its kind in the state of Texas,” Fuentes said.
“Once complete, the region would benefit from over 12,000-acre feet of new water supplies a year and flood mitigation from sister detention ponds that are being proposed. This project reclaims water from our drainage ditch system and treats it to potable levels.”
Fuentes said that with the support of local, state and federal partners, Hidalgo County has obtained water rights to the flows within the drainage ditch system, obtained status as a wholesale water provider and purchased a site for the first treatment facility in northern Hidalgo County.
“Two other reclamation water treatment plants are planned in Hidalgo County, and a fourth one is a floating permit in Willacy County,” Fuentes said.
“This project is a game changer and could be part of the long-term solution in addressing our water crisis regionally and statewide. The initial impact may be small but has the potential to have a larger impact across the state in the long run and revolutionize how we address the water shortage. This this project can supply water to nearly quarter of a million people once it is fully complete.”
Fuentes also gave an overview of the water crisis in the region. He said the situation has worsened since his last appearance before the committee. “I can tell you that the situation now is more dire than ever,” he said.
Fuentes said the water crisis in Texas is “exacerbated" by Mexico's failure to meet its water obligations.
“The 1944 water treaty requires Mexico to deliver an average of 350,000-acre feet of water to the US annually, as has been mentioned before. For over 30 years now, Mexico has regularly failed to fulfill its delivery obligations, leading to significant agricultural and economic impacts across the country, but even more acutely felt along the border in South Texas, including the Rio Grande Valley.”
To date, Fuentes said, Mexico still owes over a million-acre feet of water for the current five-year cycle.
“But expecting them to do this now, as previously testified, is very unrealistic,” he said.
Fuentes said the negative impacts of Mexico failing to meet its water obligations cannot be understated.
“Last year, Hidalgo County had to issue a disaster declaration due to the ongoing drought. The Falcon reservoir, also mentioned before, is the main source of water for the Rio Grande Valley. It is currently at its lowest level in over 20 years. As of this month, it is dangerously low, below 20% capacity.”
Fuentes then warned of the consequences.
“Conservation efforts such as stopping all agricultural water supply and ceasing development by not issuing any new building permits, could potentially be widespread,” Fuentes said, pointing out that last year, Texas’ only sugar mill, in Santa Rosa, had to close due to lack of predictable water supplies.
“Its closure was a direct result of the lack of water, and more than 500 people lost their jobs due to that closure. This is having a ripple effect in the Valley’s farming community and local economy. Thousands of jobs and livelihoods in the Texas agricultural sector are still at risk,” Fuentes said.
Fuentes pointed to a 2023 Texas A&M AgriLife study on the economic impact of irrigation water shortages in the Valley.
“The loss of irrigated crop production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region would lead to an estimated $993.2 million loss in economic output,” Fuentes said, referencing the findings of the A&M study.
“Likewise, the loss of irrigated crop production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley would generate a loss of $554.8 million in value added to the state's GDP. In terms of employment, the loss of irrigation would result in an estimated loss of over 8,000 full time and part time jobs that depend on the production and sales of these commodities for some portion of their income.”
Fuentes said it is not just the agricultural sector that is at risk.
“This is everyone's problem. Manufacturing, energy production, construction, food processing, textile manufacturing and the hospitality sector are all industries that are under threat. Even in our own homes, the frightening scenario that South Texans could turn on their faucet and have no water is all too real with each passing day.”
