Cameron County judge speaks on water shortage issues plaguing Valley

CAMERON COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Water shortage is still a top issue in the Rio Grande Valley with officials continuously looking at ways to combat the lack of supply.

Officials say the Valley’s water shortage issue is not something that is going away any time soon, regardless of rainfall. They are exploring solutions through state and federal funding as well as conservation initiatives that can be done locally.

On Tuesday, Cameron County water officials met with the judges of Cameron and Hidalgo Counties to discuss the severity of the issue and the need to secure state and federal dollars.

Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said Valley officials are looking at creating a valley-wide or regional ground water authority, to ensure that the entire RGV community is on the same page about water conservation.

“If you’ve got one community that’s utilizing those restrictions on a serious and strict basis, and others that are not, well then we’re defeating the purpose because over here you have to watch your water use and over here you don’t or you’re not going to be penalized as much," Treviño said. "And with conservation initiatives, Cameron County is looking at securing groundwater as a new source of water to offset the historically low levels in the Falcon and Amistad reservoirs."

Officials are also looking into conservation programs from western states like New Mexico and Arizona, which have faced drought challenges for years.

Judge Treviño also highlighted how water scarcity could impact the Valley’s growth. In order to continue growing as it has the past few years, the Valley needs to supply water to the increasing population.