An Overview of Operational Characteristics of Selected Irrigation Districts in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley: Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2 (San Juan)

摘要

Population expansion and water shortfalls have placed the Texas Lower RioGrande Valley (Valley) center stage in water publicity. The unique characteristics andlack of public knowledge on how irrigation districts divert and convey water from theRio Grande to municipal, industrial, and agriculture consumers have precipitatedquestions regarding the operations and makeup of these districts. Differences betweenand similarities across irrigation districts can be partially attributed to the topography,water-delivery infrastructure system, past financial decisions, and populationdemographics and clientele base of each irrigation district. The Hidalgo CountyIrrigation District No. 2 (HCID2), with its unusually high number of urban customersand extensive number of water rights owned, is one of the 29 distinct irrigation districtsin the Valley. This study provides a historical background, a description of the District,and a discussion of the District?s current operations. Specific information in the reportdetails not only the use of technology within the District, but also how the Districtdiverts and delivers its allocated water from the Rio Grande, how it is used (i.e.,municipal, industry, and agriculture), and mechanisms for allocation within andoutside the District.The uniqueness of the Lower Rio Grande Valley irrigation districts requires anunderstanding of their origins and operating mannerisms to explain their overallinstitutional effects. Through unlocking some of the conundrum associated with theseindividual irrigation districts, policymakers and other interested stakeholders will havea better perception of the culture and evolution that surround these unique districts,thereby facilitating improved policy-making decisions affecting the region?s watersupply and usage.