HIDALGO COUNTY — In a dusty field northeast of Edinburg, water is pouring from a blue pipe and splashing through rows of flowering cotton plants. It's an unusual sight in this part of the Rio Grande Valley these days. Most farmers and irrigation districts, which manage water from the Rio Grande, have had little or no water for months.
Mexico fight over Rio Grande water adding to Texas drought woes In nearby Santa Rosa, the state’s only sugar mill has already closed. Locals say they worry that the citrus industry could be in for a similar fate. Even farmers with drought-tolerant crops, such as grain sorghum and cotton, are concerned. “The only time we get water is if God makes a deposit of rain,” Allen said. “Or when Mexico makes a deposit, but we know Mexico doesn't deposit anymore.
Edwards Aquifer Authority moves to Stage 4 drought restrictions Much of the water that goes to municipal water systems has to flow through the same canals and ditches as water used for agriculture. When farmers are cut off or aren't irrigating, the districts still need to move the smaller amounts of municipal water, but that's more difficult and less efficient.
Photos show nearly empty Medina Lake as water levels stoop to record lows The mill announced that it would close at the end of this year’s harvest, eliminating about 350 seasonal jobs and 150 full-time jobs. About 30 remaining employees will sell off the equipment and eventually the cooperative's 600 acres of land. Farmers who had sugarcane in the ground had to plow it over and leave the land empty or try to plant something in its place.