South Texas judge declares disaster due to water shortage – and it’s not even summer yet

A South Texas county judge on Tuesday issued a disaster declaration due to ongoing water shortages along the Rio Grande.

The declaration by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez comes days after 11 state lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State asking for the federal government’s help in forcing Mexico to abide by the U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty of 1944.

Cortez’s declaration, which permits Hidalgo County to activate its emergency management plan and seek state funds to mitigate the drought, is effective immediately. Hidalgo County Commissioners Court can vote to extend the declaration when the document expires in seven days.

“These drought conditions pose an imminent and continuous threat of widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life or property and to public health, municipal water supplies, and agriculture production,” Cortez wrote in the declaration.

Indeed, Rio Grande Valley Sugars Growers Inc. in February shuttered its 500-employee sugar mill in the area, citing the lack of water.

The state lawmakers — five of whom represent Hidalgo County — highlighted the mill’s closure in their letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They pleaded for Blinken to force Mexico to abide by the 1944 treaty.

Under that treaty, Mexico is obliged to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water to the United States annually every five years. However, Mexico has so far failed to deliver the nearly 775,000 acre-feet of water owed under its current cycle, according to the letter.

The water crisis comes as experts warn the Lone Star State may be pushed to the brink if it experiences another long, sweltering summer with little rain.

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This article appears in Apr 3-16, 2024.