How irrigation districts in the Rio Grande Valley could invest in water conservation during drought
Hidalgo County Irrigation District 1 retrofitted this earthen canal into cement in recent years. Photo Credit | Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza

For more than a century, the canal system of the Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1 has directed water from the Rio Grande River to farmers and the nearby cities of Edinburg and McAllen. 

The 27-mile-long stretch is pumped from the river near Peñitas, then gravity takes over, allowing the water to flow both north and east. 

“It’s designed to flow freely. We don’t force the water down here. The elevation every mile; it’s supposed to drop a foot,” Carlos Guzman, general manager of Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1, told the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal in a recent interview. 

@kmosbruckergarza

I interviewed Hidalgo County Irrigation District general manager Carlos Guzman about what it means to invest in water conservation efforts. North American Development Bank has a new Water Resiliency Fund for the Rio Grande Valley which has many earthen canals that lose water to evaporation. #SouthTexas #drought #waterconservation #RGV #956 #riograndevalley

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