
‘With What Water?’
The shrinking of a mighty Mexican river has hollowed out the economy of Chihuahua’s Conchos Valley and bred civil unrest as South Texas demands the water it’s owed.
Since 1954
The shrinking of a mighty Mexican river has hollowed out the economy of Chihuahua’s Conchos Valley and bred civil unrest as South Texas demands the water it’s owed.
Amid droughts, climate change and development, Todd Votteler has ideas for how Texas can prevent future conflict over resources.
A century of enterprise brought the river to its brink. Now, authorities are “praying for a hurricane” as reservoirs dwindle and populations boom on both sides of the Mexico-Texas border.
Leaders in the South Texas city are reluctant to impose substantial restrictions on watering lawns, even as nearby communities declare emergencies.
Reservoirs in the Rio Grande Valley are running dry—sparking emergency water conservation measures.
In May, the Rio Grande ran dry in storied Santa Elena Canyon—warning of big trouble all along Texas’ longest river.
Scientists predict temperatures, seasonal extremes and flooding will continue to intensify if carbon emissions aren’t immediately reduced.
The invisible line that divides the arid western part of the country from the wetter eastern half is on the move, and that has important implications for the Texas capital.