Maverick County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 Approves Emergency Drought Plan in Contentious Meeting
The Maverick County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 (MCWCID No. 1) Board of Directors unanimously approved an Emergency Drought Plan at its regular meeting held on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, requested by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in light of the current severe drought conditions afflicting the Rio Grande River water discharge area, Texas, and southwest United States.
During the Recognition of Visitors part of the meeting, MCWCID No. 1 Board Member Javier Mancha signed up to speak and stated that he has personally attempted to place agenda items at the past four months’ Board meetings but his requests have not been placed on the agenda by General Manager Brenda McCalip and/or Board President Randy Edwards, denying him and the District members who elected him to represent them a voice and participation in the District’s business and decision making. For example, Mancha delivered on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, a handwritten letter to General Manager Brenda McCalip requesting five items be placed on the June 14, 2022 Board Meeting Agenda, but none of his items were placed on the agenda.
Mancha stated that one of the agenda items requested by him be added to the June 14, 2022 Board meeting was the discussion and possible action on the water allocations to the District by TCEQ for the years of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Mancha noted it was important to review and understand the District’s water allocations during the past years to comprehend the current situation at the District and to have accountability of the District’s use of its water allocations.
Mancha added that he had obtained the TCEQ water allocations for these years to the District from TCEQ. Mancha noted the District had been allocated 72,200 acre feet of water in 2018; 47,250 acre feet in 2019; 60,253 acre feet in 2020; 20,134 acre feet in 2021; and 2,317 acre feet in 2022 to date. Mancha noted the District authorized water right is 132,400 acre feet while the storage limit is 186,684 acre feet. Mancha added that currently usable water and storage water are the same at 40,000 acre feet. Mancha questioned where the water went and how was it allocated. He stated accountability is important to understand where the District is today.
Former District Board President Beyer Junfin requested to speak in Recognition of Visitors, although not initially registered, and stated the country was in a national and state drought nearing a 100 year drought, claimed Mancha did not understand how the District works despite being 12 years on the Board, and recommended not reviewing what the District had done in the past but rather focus on the current drought situation and what measures need be taken to survive the drought.
Board Member Gabriel De La Cerda chimed in the discussion and stated the District needed to focus on the current water allocation and how it was going to be distributed instead of looking at accountability of past years.
After approving the minutes of the May 10, 2022 meeting and accounts payable, Board President Randy Edwards discussed the TCEQ Monthly Irrigation Reports and the current drought situation in the District as well as the decreased water allocations by TCEQ. Edwards noted that as of the end of April 2022, the District had 31,027 acre feet of allocated water remaining. Edwards added the District is currently using between 2,700 to 3,000 acre feet per month, although TCEQ says the District uses approximately 4,400 acre feet per month.
Former Board President Beyer Junfin questioned Edwards on what the District was going to do about the decreased water allocations from TCEQ. Junfin noted the Rio Grande Valley farmers have plenty of water for their crops and livestock. Junfin opined that TCEQ was taking water allocations from the MCWCID No. 1 and giving it to Rio Grande Valley water districts.
Board Member Henry Moses asked Junfin if he was insinuating that TCEQ had taken water allocated to MCWCID No. 1 to give to other water districts, which Junfin replied-“Yes.”
General Manager Brenda McCalip stated that the Board had approved free water allocations in past years, noting that it seemed as if the Board were now seeking to blame her and Jake Moen for the decreased water allocations today. Mancha stated he was not pointing the finger at anybody, but was simply requesting an accountability of water allocations.
Edwards added that as of June 2022, the District has approximately 31,000 acre feet of water remaining. Edwards stated that TCEQ had advised them that when the District reaches 15,000 acre feet, the District will have to shut down water for irrigation and when it reaches 5,000 acre feet the power plant and canal would have to be shut down. Edwards noted the plan is to run the Hydro Electric Power Plant for as long as possible since it provides revenues to the District.
District members present at the meeting asked Edwards if the District had considered drilling for water in the newly discovered water acquifer in El Indio, Texas, which Edwards replied, “No.”Another district member asked if the District was selling water to oil and gas drilling companies operating within the District, which Edwards replied that the District only sells up to 1,000 acre feet as mining water. Another member asked if the District had considered building a reservoir for water storage and looked at a second source of water availability.
After a lively discussion, the Board unanimously approved an Emergency Drought Plan to submit to TCEQ. The Emergency Plan includes two phases: Phase 1 provides that when the District reaches 15,000 acre feet of remaining water, the District will turn off all irrigation water to the canal and El Indio, the District will haul “Domestic Water” (maximum of 6,000 gallons a week), El Indio and Central will get Livestock Water only two times a month (if needed), Industrial Water in El Indio and Central will need to pick up water at the bridge area located at the Hydro Plant, and Recreational Water will be delivered the same way as Livestock Water; and Phase 2 includes when the District reaches 5,000 acre feet of remaining water, the District will turn off the Hydro Electric Power Plant and Canal, begin pumping water to Maverick County and Runnel Peters Feedyards, try to maintain water loss of 500 acre feet or less, and only run water in the Canal once a week.
Edwards estimated the District has approximately 5-6 months of water depending on whether major rains fall in the Rio Grande River water discharge area.
