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The Rio Grande Valley currently gets most of its irrigation and drinking water from the Rio Grande. But with water levels critically — and chronically — low, local residents express concerns that the river can’t meet the future needs of a region that is growing both in population and in industry.
Just a few decades ago, the Valley got much of its water from underground aquifers. Might new technology resurrect that option as local officials desperately seek new water sources?
Lake levels at the two Rio Grande reservoirs, Amistad and Falcon, currently are around 27% and 23% of normal levels, respectively. Rains that flooded much of Central Texas this summer didn’t flow into the river, and forecasters predict continued hot, dry weather here at least until November.
Water scarcity has been a concern for decades, and already has affected Valley life. Several cities have imposed permanent water restrictions — not to mention higher utility rates. One desalination plant to purify water from the Bahia Grande already operates in the Los Fresnos area, and a larger private facility that initially will produce around 50 million gallons of water per day and could expand to 100 million gallons per day is under development on South Padre Island.
Our agriculture industry has felt the water woes in a big way. Many local farms have invested heavily in new irrigation methods that use less water, adopted dryland farming methods or switched to growing crops that need less water. The billion-dollar South Texas sugarcane industry collapsed entirely in February 2024, citing the inability to irrigate the thirsty crop.
The Texas Department of Agriculture, however, is working with new investors who hope to bring back Texas’ only sugar processing operation — and its high water demands — by 2028.
Those agricultural needs, coupled with population and business growth, makes finding new water sources even more urgent.
As recently as the 1960s, the Valley used groundwater to augment Rio Grande supplies. U.S. Geological Survey archives identify four major underground reservoirs. One sits under northeastern Starr County; another is in the Linn-Faysville area in central Hidalgo County. The other two stretch below southeastern Starr County, southern Hidalgo County, western Cameron County and southwestern Willacy County.
Researchers at Idaho State University might be able to help the Valley revitalize, and reuse, the aquifers. They are testing the feasibility of building subsurface dams that help feed the basins and hold water there until it’s drawn out. Such structures aren’t known in the United States but already are used in Japan and other countries.
A well-planned system could also reinforce local drainage systems by steering runoff toward the aquifers and helping to mitigate the flooding that often plagues the Valley during heavy rains.
Could engineering students at our own universities begin similar research, or connect with Boise State to support its work?
We know pockets exist that can hold water beneath parts of the Valley. Any system that could help fill those pockets for our use is worth a look.
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