The river is integral to Texas' irrigation. High salinity is changing the agricultural landscape.
The increasing salinity of the Rio Grande is a real problem for agricultural producers. Experts from Texas A&M AgriLife Research are studying this issue to provide options and advice for those who rely on the water source.
To understand agriculture along the Rio Grande, one must first understand “where the water comes from, the volume and how the water drains,” said Juan Enciso,an AgriLife Research irrigation engineer at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco. Enciso is also an associate professor in Texas A&M University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
As the Rio Grande makes its way from its snowmelt-fed headwaters in Colorado to its outlet in the Gulf of Mexico, 80% of the water is diverted for agriculture.
“We are a very dry state and we don’t have enough water,” Enciso said. “We have to be very careful about not overusing the water.”
Continue reading at Texas A&M University
Image via Texas A&M University
