(Texas Scorecard) – Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has signed an executive order allowing farmers and ranchers to use water from the Rio Grande.
Miller’s executive order states that agriculture producers and irrigation districts will have immediate access to water from the Rio Grande, as water is critical to these industries. He cites that the action is consistent with Texas agriculture policy.
These industries have suffered greatly from Mexico’s failure to supply water to the Rio Grande Valley in violation of a 1944 Treaty.
The 1944 Treaty requires that Mexico deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water to the Rio Grande Valley while the U.S. delivers 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River.
When Mexico began to fall behind on delivering the agreed amount of water in 2020, farmers and ranchers suffered the most loss.
Mexico’s reservoirs have been overflowing, and the excess water has been running into the Gulf of Mexico unutilized because of heavy rain.
In his press release, Miller states, “Enough is enough.”
“We’re done sitting around waiting for someone else to act. There is no reason the water overflow south of the Amistad and Falcon international reservoirs should go down the Rio San Juan to the Rio Grande and be wasted. The water belongs in the hands of those who need it most, not lost to the Gulf.”
“Our farmers and ranchers have needed water for far too long, and this is just another way we’re supporting them,” explained Miller.
“Texas should always take care of Texans,” he concluded.
