WSP03649 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

l1"> C\l ~ N (.;) o for irrigation (only about 5,000 acre-feet of groundwater is used annually for municipal and industrial purposes). Wide- spread use of this marginal-q~ality water has resulted in severe and widespread agricultural soil saUni ty problems. Over-applica- tion of groundwater irrigation resulted in local ,drainage problems. Currently, municipal and industrial water use in the 4-county region approximates 65 million gallons per day (72,809 acre-feet per year)"with existing steam-electric power plants consuming. an additional 5,000 acre-feet of water annually. In addition to individual industries which have developed independent water sup- ply systems, there are approximately 39 purveyors of municipal, domeatic and "light" industrial water supplies to approximately 102 water using entities in the 4-county area. Severa~ irriga- tion districts also supply water to a number of small cities and communities -- frequently on a temporary basis -- through irriga- tion diversion and conveyance facilities. Of approximately 144 cities, incorporated and unincorporatEld cormnunities,.water supply corporations and other entities in the area, 42 such commu~ities, representing about 20 percent of the Valley's pop~latioh, are not served by public water supply systems. Inferior water quality (high dissolved solids concentrations and excessive ha~dness) and problems of insufficient raw water storage and water treat- ment plant capacity plague much of the Valley population. Currently, over seven thousand operating units,' served by 33 active irrigation districts as well as individual and cooperative irrigation systems, use over' one million acre-feet annually to irrigate more than 800,000 acres of land in the Rio Grande Valley. More than 500,000 acres of additional potentially highly-productive irrigable lands exist in the Valley which could be put into produc- tion, ..if water were available. Water available to the Valleyf.rom the Rio Grande is subject to provisions of the International Treaty of 1944 between the United States and Mexico, the supply available in storage in Amistad and Falcon Reservoirs, .and. allocations of this supply are based on water rights recognized in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Case (State of Texas, et. al.v. Hidalgo County Water Control and Improvement District No. l8,.et.al., 443 S.W. 2nd 728) as approved by the Texas Supreme Court and on.water rights in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. Falcon and Amistad reservoirs constructed jointly by the' United States and Mexico for flood control, water supply, and hydro-.power, .are operated by the International Boundary Commis- sion, with the United States' share of conservation storage ad- 'ministered by the Texas Water Rights Commission under rules and regulations established pursuant to provisions of the above- 27