Despite back-to-back deals on water from Mexico, relief for South Texas farmers is far from certain
Texas agreed to take 120,000 acre-feet of water from Mexico this month, only after the U.S. and Mexico agreed to an updated treaty. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande river is seen where it meets with the San Juan River in Rio Grande City, Texas on Dec. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
U.S.-Mexico water agreement might bring relief to parched South Texas
The amendment to a 1944 treaty will help Mexico catch up with its water deliveries to the U.S. and might help Rio Grande Valley farmers devastated by low rainfall. Full Story
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![A resaca near agriculture fields near Los Fresnos, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The Rio Grande Valley is facing a drought, greatly affecting farmers in the region.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas sued New Mexico over Rio Grande water. Now the states are fighting the federal government.
After the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the federal government in the long-running water dispute, the states — which had finally worked out a water-sharing agreement — are back to the drawing board. Full Story
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![The Elephant Butte Reservoir near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico stores Rio Grande water to be distributed to irrigation districts in Southern New Mexico and far West Texas.]()
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Terlingua’s tourist season has started. Here’s why and how you can help conserve water on your visit.
It’s unclear how much water resides underneath this booming West Texas tourist haven. That makes conservation critical. Full Story
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![South Brewster County residents and tourists congregate on the porch of the Terlingua Trading Company in December.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas pecan farm fights to save its water supply as neighbors sell it to growing cities
A yearslong dispute over exporting water to growing Texas cities offers a hint at the battles to come as the state’s population booms and water supply dwindles. Full Story
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![General Manager Zachary Swick poses at Belding Farms on Sep 23, 2024]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune -
Laredo ends boil-water notice after 11 days, turns attention to illegal connections and old pipes
The South Texas city has hired a consulting firm for $200,000 to provide an interim director for the utility amid a restructuring of the department. Full Story
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![A water faucet drips on Feb. 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Laredo enters its sixth day of a boil-water notice after E. coli is discovered in water system
The South Texas city is the latest to grapple with aging water infrastructure, which officials suggested could have been the cause for the E. coli outbreak. Full Story
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![An empty street in historic downtown Laredo, TX on Nov. 7, 2021. Businesses along the border crossing are hoping to see a return in Mexican clientele after the U.S. land borders reopen to vaccinated travelers.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang -
A West Texas ranch and resort will limit water amid fears its wells will run dry
Residents at the sprawling Terlingua Ranch near Big Bend National Park will limit residents to 1,000 gallons of nondrinking water per month. Full Story
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![Marcos Carley checks the water level of his portable tote as he and his wife purchase non-potable water from the Terlingua Ranch property owners association. Carley said he and his wife have to fill up their tote with nonpotable water every couple of weeks and must purchase drinking water from either Terlingua or Alpine, the latter being a nearly three-hour round trip.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
After six years, a Texas town’s boil-water notice has been lifted, but residents are still concerned
The town’s troubles started in 2018, when its water tested positive for the dangerous E.coli bacteria. Full Story
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![Toyah's water treatment facility appears cleaner than it has in the past.]()
Credit: Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio -
Data shows Rio Grande water shortage is not just due to Mexico’s lack of water deliveries
Water levels at the Amistad and Falcon international reservoirs are currently at 19% and 12% of capacity, respectively. Some of the decrease is from lower inflows from the U.S. side of the river. Full Story
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![The U.S. 90 bridge crosses the Amistad Reservoir near Del Rio on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Water deliveries from Mexico are stored at the reservoir, where water levels have dropped in recent months.]()
Credit: Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times via REUTERS -
Texas Water Board details how it will spend $1 billion for water infrastructure projects
About $45 million will go to Texas towns with fewer than 1,000 residents — a boon for municipalities without a viable tax base. Full Story
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![Director of the Program Administration and Reporting division of the Texas Water Development Board’s Water Supply and Infrastructure Department Marvin Cole-Chaney speaks to the water development board Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Austin.]()
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As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for water
Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative. Full Story
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![A crew works on upgrading pipes and valves at a North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water plant in Donna on Thursday, July 18, 2024. In order to increase the amount of water the plant is able to distribute, pipes were upgraded and replaced, connect to the plant’s existing facility with the newly expanded infrastructure.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Old pipes cause Texas cities to lose tens of billions of gallons of water each year
The lost water costs the cities millions and heightens the state’s water supply challenges. Full Story
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![Water spews out of a fire hydrant as a San Antonio Water System crew works to fix a water main break near Hunt Ln. and Adams Hill in San Antonio, TX on August 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Odessa residents face another water outage
The fast-growing Permian Basin city has faced years of water problems due to crumbling infrastructure. The system last shut off in May. Full Story
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![City officials monitor the progress of repairing a damaged water main near 42nd Street and San Jacinto Street on June 14, 2022 in Odessa.]()
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South Texas needs rain. Tropical Storm Alberto didn’t deliver enough.
The region's two major reservoirs are at record-low levels and agriculture leaders are worried the citrus industry could be devastated this summer. Full Story
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![A citrus orchard in the Rio Grande Valley between the towns of Santa Rose and Combes in 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court blocks the state’s Rio Grande water deal with New Mexico
Water law experts say the Supreme Court's recent decision will set a precedent for the federal government to intervene in water conflicts between states moving forward. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande at the New Mexico-Texas border on Monday, December 9, 2013 in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Unchecked growth around Big Bend sparks debate over water — a prelude for Texas
No one knows how much water sits beneath the desert of Terlingua. Residents worry their wells will run dry, as developers and local officials cheer the tourism boom. Full Story
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![Rick and Georganne Bradbury drive down a remote mountain road after delivering water to a client on Terlingua Ranch. Keeping his business afloat is a constant concern for Rick, who said he’s spent thousands of dollars on replacing car parts and spare water tanks damaged by the terrain.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas delegation urges Congress to withhold aid to Mexico over water treaty dispute
A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers are demanding appropriators withhold funds for the country until Mexico lives up to its end of a 1944 water treaty that requires it to send 1.75 million acre-feet to the U.S. every five years. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande at Los Ebanos in Hidalgo Co. on Jan. 14, 2022. The United States is on the right, Mexico on the left.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
North Texas landowners trying to stop a reservoir that Wichita Falls calls crucial
State regulators face a critical decision this week on whether to approve a permit for a new reservoir that the city of Wichita Falls says is vital for ensuring enough water for the region. But some locals are fighting the project. Full Story
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![Deborah Clark, left, points to land that she says will be inundated if the permit to build Lake Ringgold is approved on Monday, May 6, 2024 in Henrietta, Texas. The city of Wichita Falls is seeking a permit to construct Lake Ringgold in Clay County, a reservoir the city says will help with future water needs. Residents and ranchers of Clay County say they will lose acres of their property and claim the project is unnecessary.]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — again
With the hottest days still ahead, local leaders have declared emergencies. And farmers are lobbying for the U.S. government to pressure Mexico to release water. Full Story
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![Mike England surveys a field on his farm near Mercedes on April 18, 2024. England had to destroy 500 acres worth of sugar cane he'd grown because of drought in the Rio Grande Valley.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune