Write a new simple attractive title based on the title from Allen: Investing in irrigation infrastructure is an investment in the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s water supply and dont use quote marks

By Troy Allen

Good afternoon, Chairman Harris, Vice Chair Martinez, committee members, thank you for coming to the Lower Rio Grande Valley and for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Troy Allen. I’m the general manager of Delta Lake Irrigation District. We serve agriculture producers in Hidalgo and Willacy counties and provide raw water to North Alamo Water Supply and the cities of Raymondville and Lyford. 

Today, I will focus on three issues: the severity of our water shortage, the Delta Lake Water Bank created in response, and the need for sustained investment in irrigation infrastructure. 

Some key takeaways: Delta Lake is facing a fundamental water supply shortage, not a simple conservation challenge. The water bank helps move unused allocated water to producers who can put it to immediate beneficial use. Infrastructure modernization reduces conveyance losses and preserves more water for regional use. A dedicated long-term funding program would help protect the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s future water supply. 

Before the closure of the Rio Grande Sugar Mill, Delta Lake typically needed 100,000 to 110,000 acre-feet annually to meet agriculture demand in a normal rainfall year. Today, we estimate annual agriculture demand to be approximately 75,000 to 85,000 acre feet, assuming favorable commodity prices and normal planted acreage. In 2024, Delta Lake received only 22,165 acre-feet of allocated water. By June, the district’s entire water balance had fallen to 5,169 acre-feet. In 2025, we received 39,212 acre-feet of water, an improvement, but still only about half of normal demand. 

Conservation alone cannot solve this problem. We are dealing with a fundamental shortage of supply. The shortage affects growers and irrigation districts alike. Less water means less delivery revenue, even as districts must continue operating and maintain canals, pipelines, pumping facilities, and other essential infrastructure. Drought, reduced inflows, and inconsistent deliveries of water owed to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty have all contributed to the shortage. When that water does not reach our reservoirs, irrigation districts cannot allocate it, and farmers cannot use it to produce a crop. 

The Region M Water Plan relies on historical hydrology through 2018 to project future Rio Grande water availability. While the model accounts for both U.S. and Mexico inflows, I am concerned that the planning assumptions may not fully reflect the significant decline in inflows that IBWC has documented in the recent decades. Those conditions led us to create the Delta Lake Water Bank. The water bank allows unused allocated water to be transferred quickly to producers who need it the most. If a grower has allocated water they will not use, Delta Lake can purchase it for a set price per acre-foot and place it in the water bank. A grower with a crop in the ground can then purchase an allowable amount for immediate use by paying an acquisition fee, Delta Lake’s normal delivery charge, and a small administrative fee. 

We also offer an option program that allows brewers to secure water bank water for future use, giving them greater certainty when making planning decisions. The district does not operate the program for a profit. Its purpose is to move available water in an orderly way to where it can be put to beneficial use. The water bank does not create water; it helps us make better use of the limited supply available. Infrastructure improvements can do more. They can increase the amount of water preserved for future use. Infrastructure modernization reduces conveyance loss and stretches limited water supplies further. When open canals are converted to pipeline or leaking canals are lined, less water must be released from Falcon and Amistad Reservoir to reach the end user. Conserved water can remain international storage for future use. 

The benefits extend beyond the districts completing the projects. It supports agriculture, municipalities, and other water users throughout the Lower River Grande Valley. The water saved through conservation projects does not stop at one district’s boundaries. It strengthens the Lower River Grand Valley’s water supply and supports a region that is vital to the state of Texas. I appreciate the legislature’s investment in irrigation districts through the House Bill 500. I encourage the legislature to build on that commitment by establishing a dedicated long-term planning program for irrigation infrastructure and conservation projects, a combination of grants and very low interest loans would help districts complete critical projects while creating a durable funding mechanism for the Valley’s future.

Investing in irrigation infrastructure is an investment in the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s water supply. Every acre foot conserved is an acre foot available for farms, communities, and future growth. Chairman Harris, members of the committee, the Valley’s water challenge requires more than one solution. We need reliable supplies, practical conservation tools, modern infrastructure, and the flexibility to implement local solutions like the water bank. The need is urgent. The path forward is clear. With sustained investment, stronger infrastructure, local flexibility, Texas can help secure the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s future. Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.

Editor’s Note: The above remarks were delievered by Troy Allen, general manager of Delta Lake Irrigation District, at a hearing of the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources. The hearing was held at Weslaco City Hall on Monday, August 24, 2026. Allen spoke in the regional water planning segment of the hearing.