Dante Galeazzi's presentation at UTRGV's Vistas from Texas seminar

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

MCALLEN, Texas - Dante Galeazzi, president and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA), worries that some of the smaller RGV cities will have their water supply rationed just like it was in Monterrey and Reynosa.

And it will be for the same reason - because water that should be coming to South Texas and Tamaulipas under a 1944 international water sharing treaty is being held back by the state of Chihuahua.

Galeazzi spoke in depth about the Valley’s current water supply crisis when he appeared on panel at UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Vistas from Texas seminar in October. It was held at UTRGV’s corporate headquarters inside the Rio Bank HQ in McAllen.

“The water shortage is not only impacting the Rio Grande Valley, but also dramatically impacting our friends in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon,” Galeazzi. “Look at what happened in Monterrey, Mexico, and Reynosa, Mexico, just these last two summers. They have been on severe water restrictions. It has been so bad that Reynosa this year shut off water to 260 different communities, and they basically put them on water schedules. I think was every third day that you got water, or every second day, something like that.”

Galeazzi continued: “And so what was happening was, people had scheduled days they could get water. Both in Monterrey and Reynosa. You had to be ready on time, on your day, with buckets, or both days, to fill your bathtub and fill up enough water for three days for your family. That's what could happen here in the U.S. That's what's going to happen in those little cities if we don't invest in what's happening in water.”

Galeazzi said there are a lot of water projects in the works in the Valley but many of them are focused on conservation.

“We need to be looking at new water development. This is important. A lot of our smaller communities in our irrigation districts, specifically small towns, etc., are unable to access federal monies for water projects because it requires a 50 percent cost share,” Galeazzi said. “Our communities are not holding on to stockpiles of millions of dollars for projects.”
Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service website to read the full story.

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