Rio Grande Water Rights Run Through a TCEQ Watermaster

A Webb County river tract can look simple on a survey: fence, bank, Rio Grande. The water right is a separate question. TCEQ's Rio Grande Watermaster handles water rights from Fort Quitman to the Gulf of Mexico. Webb is one of the counties inside that Rio Grande area.

Below Lake Amistad, the system works more like an account ledger than a handshake at the bank. Municipal accounts get priority and reset to their full amount each year. Irrigation accounts carry balances forward and depend on monthly surplus allocations. The watermaster coordinates releases and diversions. It also tracks stream flow, reservoir levels, and use, then enforces water-right rules.

For a ranch, irrigation plan, business use, subdivision, or short-term diversion, treat the water right as its own paper next to the survey and title work. Temporary water-right applications go to the Rio Grande Watermaster email box. The program lists offices in Harlingen and Eagle Pass and a shared line at 800-609-1219. Frontage and diversion authority are not the same thing.