Galeazzi: Residents in rural areas are going to drive to the big cities in order to get water for their everyday needs.

EDINBURG, Texas – Dante Galeazzi is president and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association. His group represents growers in Texas and Mexico. 

At a recent Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce forum, Galeazzi ensured that the region’s water shortage issue was addressed. In the Q&A section, Galeazzi asked the panel what they were doing to address the water shortage. 

The panel comprised leaders from the four counties in the RGV. Namely, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, and Willacy County Commissioner Ernie Garcia, who was filling in for Willacy County Judge Aurelio Guerra.

Galeazzi’s question prompted an in-depth discussion. 

After the event had ended the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service secured a video interview with Galeazzi. He repeated many of the key points he made at the forum. 

“The key point I wanted to get across to them was that water is a huge issue, and it has been for the last 18 months. Judge Cortez pointed out a very important fact, you have more than half of the residents in all of the Rio Grande Valley in unincorporated areas. They are going to be the biggest part of our communities that will be impacted without water,” Galeazzi said.

“They will have to drive to the large cities, Edinburg, Brownsville, McAllen, to get their water for everyday needs. And that doesn’t even include the impact to agriculture. You have more than half a million irrigated acres, 9,000 direct jobs, three to four times that in the allied industries. All of those jobs and communities are at risk if we don’t do something today about this water shortage.”

Asked how soon this might happen, Galeazzi said: “We’re incredibly close. We are probably months away.”

Here is the interview:

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