As concerns over water availability in the Rio Grande Valley rise, a senator is trying to convince the Texas Water Development Board to plan ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater is life,\u201d Sen. Juan \u201cChuy\u201d Hinojosa said. \u201cThere are many farmers who have not been able to irrigate their fields due to a lack of water. We need to make sure we deal with the water issues and challenges we face.”<\/p>\n
On Dec. 19, Hinojosa, who represents parts of the Valley, wrote to water district leaders in the area to recommend that they request $100 million in funding be allocated from the Texas Water Development Board for canal lining projects in the Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n
Hinojosa said there are about 3,500 miles of irrigation canals in the Valley, and that lining canals will help conserve 900,000-acre feet of water annually, and produce $270 million in annual savings for municipal and agricultural sectors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lose about 40 to 60 percent of water that goes through the canals right now because of seepage and evaporation,\u201d Hinojosa said.<\/p>\n
The Hidalgo Irrigation District No. 2 has about 21 miles of lined canals, but they are hoping to line more. They currently have about 54 miles of unlined canal.<\/p>\n
The irrigation district provides water to six cities and farmers in those areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
General manager Anthony Stambaugh said the lack of water has affected their ability to provide upgrades and line more canals because less water means less revenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s really hard to set aside reserves to put it into an improvement like canal lining or piping,\u201d Stambaugh said.<\/p>\n
The allocation of the $100 million in funding is not guaranteed, so the senator is calling everyone to take time and submit public comment to the water development board to request the funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that our farmers and ranchers and people who really care about water make their opinion known,\u201d Hinojosa said.<\/p>\n