Surface Water Rights on the Rio Grande Are Strictly Managed

The TCEQ Rio Grande Watermaster Program manages who can use surface water from Fort Quitman to the Gulf of Mexico. It covers Cameron County and 15 other counties. The lower Rio Grande uses an account-based system. Cities get priority, and their accounts reset each year. Irrigation accounts carry forward monthly and can receive surplus water.

If you are farming, irrigating crops, or running any operation that needs Rio Grande water, you must have a water right. You cannot simply pump water because you own land along the river. Contact the TCEQ Harlingen watermaster office at [email protected] to ask about getting a water right.