IRRIGATION

Before the 1500s, South Texas was inhabited by various tribes, who mostly left the land in its original state. Most of the land was Tamaulipan Thornscrub and Gulf Prairies, however, in the late 1500s, the Spanish arrived and began to drastically change the land. The Spanish missionaries started establishing ranches by cutting down large areas of the thornscrub to turn into grazing land for the cattle. The Rio Grande Valley was the first region in all of Texas to have a ranch established. Around the early 1900s, there was an advancement in technology for agriculture, and the creation of the centrifugal pump, the railroad, and electricity all led up to the shift from ranching to agriculture in the RGV. Soon after, people interested in shifting to agriculture began building irrigation systems and pump houses along the Rio Grande River. Agriculture led to more deforestation of our thornscrub forest and drastically changed our landscape. Consequently, the population also increased, and more land was needed to house people, leading to even more clearing of our thornscrub. Presently, the Southern economy is still highly dependent on agriculture, but there has been a recent shift toward urbanization. Take a drive through the South, and you’ll see many signs offering lots for sale, many being former agricultural lands. Many of these lands have been farmed or grazed so extensively, and many farmers use unsustainable practices, which have caused the soil to be depleted of essential nutrients needed for plants to grow. The industrial monoculture of farming present in the South, particularly by large agribusiness people, has killed our soils. The drought in Texas has exacerbated the situation, with many farmers not having water for their lands. The Rio Grande River would overflow and introduce many of these necessary nutrients for the soils and the water needed. The damming of the Rio Grande River by the United States and Mexico has led to the decreased flow of the river, and it can no longer provide the necessary nutrients and water to the land, animals, plants, and people as it used to. 

dAMS

The transition from ranching to agriculture brought about massive changes to the South. The need to control the water for agricultural purposes and the increase in population resulted in the creation of dams within the Rio Grande River. The United States and Mexico agreed upon the creation of these dams, with the first being the Leasburg Diversion Dam built in 1908 for the purpose of diverting water for irrigation. The following years saw 14 more dams built on the Rio Grande River, with reservoirs being created as a result of the dams. Before damming, the Rio Grande was a strong, flowing river, hence the name Rio Bravo in Spanish. It is dependent on seasonal snowpack and monsoon rains, and it used to flood almost annually. Flooding provided water to the land, animals, and people, but most importantly, it deposited soil high in nutrients here in the Valley, a major reason why our soils are highly sought after for agricultural purposes as a wide variety of plants can grow here. The dams placed throughout the river have immensely decreased the water flow within only the past 100 years. In some places in Texas, the Rio Grande River has seen up to a 95% flow reduction as a result of damming and irrigation. Some sections of the river completely dry up, leaving the land, animals, and people without a reliable source of water. This has further invigorated the 3-year drought Texas has been experiencing. Since 1918, there has been around a 90% reduction of wetlands dependent on the Rio Grande. Other sections of Texas have seen species become endangered as a result of degraded habitat and redirection of water. The colonized mindset of wanting to control the river to exploit its resources has come at the high cost of reduced water, habitat, animals, and communities and has made the effects of climate change worse. We must let our bodies of water flow in the way they have done so for millions of years before us. We must not villainize flooding or other natural disasters that occur naturally, not as a result of anthropogenic activities, as destruction is also a part of life and nature, and from it, life follows. We must not continue believing that we can control a being as powerful and as old as the land, the waters, the elements. One day, all dams and borders will fall.