RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (RFD News) — South Texas citrus producers are calling for Mexico to make water payments under a 1944 treaty as growers face significant irrigation needs and concerns over limited rainfall.
Texas Citrus Mutual President Dale Murden said growers cannot always rely on rainfall to meet the needs of their crops.
“You can’t always count on the rain, and when you’re in the throes of an El Nino like we are, you got to supplement things with irrigation. If you can’t count on it, you can’t count on it. That’s just two hands tied behind your back.”
When asked where Mexico’s water payments currently stand, Murden said he believes the country remains close to 900,000 acre-feet behind from the last five-year cycle. He said Mexico has made a payment of about 202,000 acre-feet.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said Mexico is still making partial payments, while recent water flows have helped conditions on both sides of the Rio Grande.
“We’re still looking at partial payments. We do know that water that came in on both sides of the Rio Grande, Rio Bravo, certainly helped both sides. I’ve seen Lake Amistad, Lake Falcon, a little bit more water. Corpus Christi has a bit more water. Other places have more water.”
Cuellar said concerns about whether Mexico will pay its water debt have persisted for years.
“One of the first times I heard I was a state rep, but especially when I was secretary of state some years ago, it was an issue. Here we are years later, it’s still an issue. The point is Mexico pays and then they get caught up and then they get behind, then got five years to pay back because of the way the treaty was done. So we’re still working on that.”
Cuellar added that the old treaty may need to be updated.
