South Texas farmers are still waiting for water deliveries from Mexico despite a recent agreement linked to the 1944 water treaty.
Under the treaty, Mexico is required to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years from the Rio Grande. According to the Texas Farm Bureau, the current shortfall is estimated at between 800,000 and 925,000 acre-feet.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) said the latest agreement is not meeting expectations. "The deal was that they were going to give us a specific amount of water by the end of March," De La Cruz said. "And unfortunately, once again, Mexico does not look like it will be able to meet that goal."
Rio Grande Valley citrus grower Fred Karle said that while some water has been delivered, volumes remain limited. "It didn't amount to like an inch and a half per acre across the country that's irrigated, and so that was a step in the right direction, but we need some giant steps," Karle said.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) said the issue has been raised with Mexican officials. "I was in Mexico City with members of Congress, and I brought this up; other members brought up, we said, well, you've got to give us, you know, you've got to pay your water. They said they're getting there, they're getting there."
The shortfall continues to raise questions around enforcement and compliance. De La Cruz said she is pursuing federal measures. "I have already put language in appropriations directing the Secretary of State, which is Secretary Rubio right now, that he would be allowed to keep money from Mexico in response to them not meeting their obligations," she explained.
Producers in the region are also dealing with drought conditions. "Well, we just pray for rain," Karle said. "We've had a real drought here in the Valley; we didn't get fall rains, Thanksgiving, Christmas rains. I don't know what we're going to do."
Even if water deliveries increase, Cuellar noted that demand and population growth in the region may continue to affect availability.
Source: RFDTV
