EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — TORNILLO, Texas — A proposed emergency investment into Texas water infrastructure is being welcomed by farmers in the borderland, as they face significant challenges due to lower water levels.
Last year, approximately 60 farmers using Valley Gin Co., a cotton mill in Tornillo, sold around $25 million worth of cotton. This year, they could see less than half of that amount, costing each farm hundreds of thousands of dollars on average, due to reduced water availability.
“The threat to farming is very real,” said Gil Jones, manager of Valley Gin Co. in Tornillo. “They’ll reduce our acres a great deal because we won’t have the water necessary to plant the acres we would like to.”
Farmers in Tornillo rely on water from sources in Colorado and New Mexico, but lower levels have forced them to slash projected yields. In response, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a major investment effort in water infrastructure during the legislative session. The initiative, revealed in Abbott’s State of the State address, includes a large one-time investment and billion-dollar yearly contributions from the state to local governments to improve water supply systems.
Abbott noted that leaking and broken water lines have affected water supply for agriculture in West Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. “I think there’s a feeling that we are in for tighter water supplies going forward,” Jones said. “I think the growers would be grateful for such support.”
Despite the proposed support, farmers believe water sources will remain low unless alternative sources are found, which could harm farming communities in the area. “They’ll buy less diesel, they’ll buy less seed, and they’ll work their people fewer hours,” Jones said. “Generally, what it means is less income to the people that work here.”
Part of Abbott’s efforts include plans to develop resources like desalination and move water from areas of abundance to areas of need.
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