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.
Spring into these fabulous new Insider DealsMike England surveys a field on his farm near Mercedes on April 18. England had to destroy 500 acres worth of sugar cane he'd grown because of the ongoing drought in the Rio Grande Valley . MERCEDES — Across the street from a red barn, a 40-acre field once covered by a sea of green sugar cane leaves now sits dry and thirsty.
England lobbied Hidalgo County officials to issue a disaster declaration in hopes of raising awareness on farmers' plight at the state and national level. The Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers’ sugar mill in Santa Rosa. Two years of drought and a dwindling water supply forced Texas’ last sugar mill to close after more than 50 years of operation.At Stage 2, the city limits the use of water sprinkling systems for residences and businesses. It also limits water for washing vehicles with exceptions for commercial car washes, and restricts the refilling or adding of water to swimming pools.
In his 38 years of planting, Jones said 2024 is his first without irrigation water, which affects row crops such as sorghum, cotton and corn as well as specialty crops such as vegetables and citrus. Jones warns they're all on the verge of meeting the same fate as the sugar cane industry. "Waiting on the weather is not a great plan, but actually waiting on the weather seems like a better plan than waiting on Mexico," Jones said.In March, the county hired H2O Partners, an Austin-based environmental consulting firm, to help develop a countywide plan to address projected water shortages.
The county’s disaster declaration would enable the county to access state funding if it suffered damages from wildfires such as the historic wildfires that scorchedCortez added that affected farmers in the county would be in a position to receive financial relief in the likely scenario of financial losses from the water shortage.
Drought Economy Environment Groundwater Water Supply Mercedes South Texas Rio Grande Valley Texas Legislature
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — againWith 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.
Read more »
U.S. Customs Officers Seize over $888,000 of cocaine in major bustRIO GRANDE CITY, Texas - U.S. Customs Officers seized over $888,000 in cocaine from a single stop on Monday.The stop was made at the Rio Grande City Port of Ent
Read more »
Imágenes virales de la Patrulla Fronteriza colocando caimanes en el Río Grande son falsasA pedestrian is dead following a crash in Phoenix Friday morning, police said. Officers responded to a crash near 35th Avenue and Baseline Road around 3 a.m.
Read more »
U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Rio Grande management caseJessica Crawford is a native Texan who is thrilled to live life in the Mile High City.
Read more »
AI-generated Photos of Border Patrol Dumping Alligators in Rio GrandePhotos claiming to show Border Patrol officials dumping alligators into the Rio Grande are AI-generated and not real. Alligators are native to parts of the Rio Grande, but there is no evidence of Border Patrol putting them in the river. The viral images were created with artificial intelligence (AI).
Read more »
Viral images of Border Patrol putting alligators in the Rio Grande are fakeA marijuana processing facility that is next to Clutch Cannabis on Rainier Avenue South was struck early Thursday morning in a crash-and-grab.
Read more »