Hidalgo County trying to unify drought conservation plan among South Texas border cities

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- Leaders from dozens of South Texas towns and water districts want to unify a county-wide drought contingency plan for this region suffering from a lack of rain and water payments from Mexico.

According to a news release, Hidalgo County held a meeting on Wednesday in Mission, Texas, "aimed at developing uniform triggers among cities and water districts."

There are 22 different cities within the border county of Hidalgo, and all currently have different water conservation plans and restrictions on residents and businesses.

County officials want to get everyone on the same page to preserve water resources moving forward.

City leaders and water managers from Hidalgo County met Sept. 11, 2024, in Mission, Texas, to discuss a unified drought contingency plan for the the border county. (Photo Courtesy Hidalgo County)

Wednesday's meeting comes on the heels of the first Deep South Texas State of Water Symposium last month in Pharr, which gathered leaders from Hidalgo and Cameron, Starr and Webb counties as well.

A lack of rain, a growing population and the lack of water payments by Mexico under a 1944 international treaty have caused water levels in the region's two international reservoirs to continue to hover at historically low levels for most of this year.

As of Wednesday, Amistad Reservoir, near Del Rio, was at 21% capacity, and Falcon Dam, in Starr County, was at 11%, according to the latest data from the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).

Under Hidalgo County's proposed plan, the current reservoir levels would place the county in a "critical" drought or Stage 4 for all municipalities.

The proposed unified five-year drought plan in Hidalgo County includes the following based on the combined average percentage of both Amistad and Falcon reservoir levels:

• Stage 1: Mild Drought - 100% water conservation level
• Stage 2: Moderate Drought - 40% water conservation level
• Stage 3: Severe Drought - 30% water conservation level
• Stage 4: Critical Drought - 20% water conservation level
• Stage 5: Emergency Drought - 15% water conservation level
• Stage 6: Water Allocation - By emergency order only

Texas' only sugar mill, located in far eastern Hidalgo County, shut down earlier this year because there wasn't enough water for farmers to grow the thirsty crops. Hidalgo County officials also declared a state of emergency this year due to a lack of water.

Under the treaty, Mexico is to pay the United States 1.75 million acre-feet of water during a five-year cycle. The current cycle ends in October 2025, but Mexico has, so far, only paid just under 408,000 acre-feet of water, as of Sept. 7, according to the IBWC, which oversees the Rio Grande.

One acre-foot of water is equal to 325,851 gallons of water, or enough water to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

(IBWC Graphic)

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez speaks to city and water leaders on Sept. 11, 2024, in Mission, Texas. (Photo Courtesy Hidalgo County)

If agreed to, every water-supplying entity in Hidalgo County would have the same conservation triggers that tell the consumers the seriousness of the drought. However, cities and water districts would be left at their own discretion as to how to enforce the measures, county officials said.

“This is a long-term issue,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez said in a statement. “We need to develop a regional plan to address future water needs.”

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.