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By Jordan King
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Parts of Texas have already run out of water, an agriculture commissioner has warned, amid the longstanding water crisis in the state.
Texas has been struggling with its water supply for some time, due to population growth, deteriorating infrastructure and multiple droughts, especially the last two summers.
"We lose about a farm a week in Texas, but it's 700 years before we run out of land, the limiting factor is water," the state's Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said on Sunday.
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"We're out of water, especially in the Rio Grande Valley," he told WFAA's Inside Texas Politics.
The Rio Grande Valley is at the forefront of the crisis and is the center of an international dispute with Mexico, which owes water to the Rio Grande under the 1944 Mexico-United States Water Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande.
Mexico is supposed to provide 350,000 acre-feet of water per year over a five-year period but, as of August 10, Mexico has only paid 400,100 acre-feet of water to the U.S. in this current five-year cycle, which ends in October 2025, according to data from the International Boundary and Water Commission.
Miller said: "Our tomato production in the Valley is just about gone. They usually grow five crops of vegetables in that area," he added. Now "they have enough water to grow one. So, our production's down 80 percent and it's all about water."
He went on to speak about the West Texas town of Pecos, which was known for its melon production.
But "you can't find one anymore because the farmers are gone," Miller said, "there's no water. They had to leave."
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Miller believes Texas should focus on maximizing its existing water resources to improve irrigation, increase storage capacity and add new reservoirs.
Last month, around 250 lawmakers gathered in the border city of Pharr for the Deep South Texas State of Water Symposium.
The bipartisan event was organized by Democratic Texas state Rep. Terry Canales. Democratic state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, the Texas Water Foundation and Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who represents South Texas, joined the discussion.
Sarah Schlessinger, the CEO of the Texas Water Foundation, said that water supplies were not set to keep up with Texas' population growth. The state expects to experience a 70 percent population growth over the next 50 years.
"Texas is not a stranger to prolonged drought, but our water supply and demand projections have never been more strained," Schlessinger told Newsweek.
"Texas' aging infrastructure highlights the scale of investment that will be needed to ensure that we have a secure water future. Those factors combined with Texas economic growth will force some very difficult discussions by our leaders about how we allocate, manage, and invest in water."
Update 9/12/24, 6:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the Texas Water Foundation.
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