Petition raises alarm over potential public health crisis in RGV

Over 1,000 South Texans have signed a petition demanding the Rio Grande Valley be formally recognized as facing a human rights emergency.

The petition’s author, Joshua Moroles, along with the increasing number of those who signed it, believe the ongoing conditions in the Valley violate a handful of human rights protections as defined by the United Nations.

Some of the rights Moroles is referring to were adopted by the U.N.’s General Assembly in July 2022, and range from living conditions to public health.

The resolution is not legally binding. Rather, it recognizes a universal unity on the value of environmental health which has inspired legislation worldwide.

He originally began crafting the petition following the March 27 flood that left the Valley under several feet of water in some areas, leaving hundreds displaced and thousands with costly damage.

After weeks of drawing awareness to the movement through social media surges fueled by testimonies showcasing his research, Moroles’ petition has garnered more than 1,250 signatures.

However, Moroles seems disappointed with the public’s reaction so far. He described it as “lackluster.”

“Not because people don’t care, but because I think most are just exhausted. They’re juggling work, family, bills and survival. Taking on one more thing, even something this important, can feel overwhelming,” Moroles said. “But that’s exactly how the system wins — by keeping us too tired, too distracted, or too defeated, to fight back.”

He says his next goal is to secure official recognition and political commitment before escalating to national attention by filing human rights complaints with several agencies including the EPA and U.N.

The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment to safe and clean drinking water to adequate housing and to non-discrimination and environmental justice are among the violations the petition asserts.

In addition to the declaration of the Valley’s public health crisis, the petition is also seeking aid for the region through multiple factors.

These requests include funding for environmental testing of vital bodies of water and flood sites, as well as drainage, water treatment, sanitation and electrification projects.

The petition looks to create a comprehensive health screening program for cancer, birth defects, thyroid conditions and respiratory illness.

It demands the reform of laws that deny basic services to low-income families and those who reside on unplatted land.

Lastly, it seeks accountability from polluters and agencies failing to protect public health, and enforcement actions to follow.

Moroles summarizes the longterm goal as permanent federal and state action aiming to ensure clean water access, safe housing, modern infrastructure and health protections for all who call the Valley home.

People are seen walking in flood water in San Benito following the March 27, 2025 storms in the Rio Grande Valley. (Courtesy: Joshua Moroles)

MORE ON MOROLES

Moroles is the documentary filmmaker behind the award-winning feature, “The Collapse,” which chronicled the tragic Queen Isabella Causeway disaster.

Since then he has created two more documentaries, the later being “Before We Drowned,” an urgent investigation into the detrimental and consistent flooding in the Valley that explored the looming threat of further catastrophic water disasters.

He says in the midst of putting together this latest documentary, he uncovered alarming systematic failures putting Valley lives and livelihoods at risk, sparking the penning of this petition.

CONTAMINATED WATERWAYS

The petition notes the designation of both the Arroyo Colorado and Rio Grande as impaired waterways by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and EPA, according to the 2024 Texas Intergrated Report of Surface Water Quality.

The Arroyo’s impairments include the presence of lower-than-normal concentrations of oxygen which can be a precursor to harmful algae blooms, as well as bacteria in the water. In addition, mercury and PCBs have been found in the fish.

PCBs, man-made industrial chemicals, are a persistent organic pollutant and, according to the EPA, are carcinogenic to humans, often leading to liver, biliary tract and skin cancers.

They’re also immune system suppressors, which reduces individuals’ ability to fight infections. In addition, exposure to PCBs can lead to reproductive and developmental issues, as well as disrupt hormone functions, affecting several body systems.

In addition to PCBs, PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” were found in Arroyo water samples, according to researchers at Texas A&M. PFAS are extremely difficult to break down, leading to longterm contamination and raise several health concerns including increased risk of cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease and immune system suppression as well as developmental issues.

“The Arroyo Colorado has become a toxic stream. It’s flooded with up to 2 million gallons of untreated wastewater daily … When it floods, that toxic mix spills into homes and schools across the Valley. This isn’t fear, it’s fact,” said Moroles. “Clean water shouldn’t be something we’re worried about in our daily lives.”

When MyRGV.com reached out to an academic professor of environmental science at UTRGV, they also pointed to the same sources Moroles used in his research.

The Arroyo Colorado is seen following heavy rainfall and widespread flooding by Hugh Ramsey Park in Harlingen on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Mark Reagan | Valley Morning Star)

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT

The petition includes research Moroles compiled showcasing adverse health data for Valley residents, including high rates of asthma, neural tube defects and congenital malformations in children.

Expert pulmonologists at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Edinburg confirmed that the Valley sees some of the highest asthma hospitalization rates in Texas, due to poor air quality, pesticide exposure, and flooding-related mold and bacteria.

Neonatologists from Driscoll also conceded that higher rates of neural tube defects and congenital malformations are connected to environmental pollutants.

Moroles has also shared concerning data regarding high cancer rates in the Valley he sourced from peer-reviewed studies published by the National Library of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio’s South Texas Health Status Review and a survival analysis conducted by Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital researchers.

“Cervical cancer incidence in the RGV is 12.4 per 100,000 — 55% higher than the U.S. average. Cancer mortality is also elevated across multiple categories,” Moroles said. “Border children have a 30% higher risk of dying within five years of an (all) diagnosis compared to the rest of Texas.”

Moroles believes low access to preventative care partially contributes to these statistics, but that it doesn’t tell the complete story.

“We also have to look at the environmental conditions people here live with everyday — conditions that weaken the body before it ever has a chance to fight back,” Moroles said. “When you grow up breathing in pesticides, drinking water laced with legacy chemicals like PCBs, or being exposed to flood water that carries bacteria, sewage and industrial runoff, your immune system is already under stress.”

Flood water in San Benito following the March 27, 2025 storms in the Rio Grande Valley is seen in this drone photo. (Courtesy: Joshua Moroles)

POVERTY, INFRASTRUCTURE, FLOODING

Moroles uncovered some troubling truths about the Valley’s living conditions from several reliable sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, colonia reports and peer-reviewed studies.

He credits these unfavorable living conditions to an accumulation of legal barriers, decades of underinvestment in marginalized border communities despite growing populations, climate vulnerabilities and lack of enforcement against polluters as just a few contributing factors.

According to numerous reports and surveys, over 40% of colonia residents live below the poverty line and nearly 50% lack access to centralized water systems, leaving many reliant on private wells or water vending machines. Some of which, Moroles said, have tested positive for bacterial or chemical contamination.

And when septic failures occur during the Valley’s flooding, families become exposed to raw sewage.

Additionally, many impoverished Valley residents are stuck in a loop because of a legality stemming from a Texas law passed in 1995. Texas Local Government Code, Subchapter B, was passed with the intention of preventing unsafe housing developments near the border, where many developers had sold unplatted lots lacking basic utility connections for sewage, water and even electricity.

Because of this law, platting land is essential to connecting these utilities legally, but it is also an expensive and complex venture, requiring surveys, regulation compliance, and local government authorization, that becomes a looming barrier to people living in poverty.

“This crisis is a result of compounded neglect,” said Moroles.

And according to Moroles, the crisis will continue to be compounded without adequate response because of rapid population growth projected within the Valley.

“The population of the RGV is projected to grow from 1.5 million to 2.5 million by 2040. The binational population is expected to reach 7 million,” Moroles stated in the petition. “No proportional expansion of water, sewer, or drainage systems has occurred to meet this demand.”

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