South Texas lawmaker asks governor declare emergency due to water ‘crisis’ [Video]

EDINBURG, Texas (Border Report) — A South Texas lawmaker on Wednesday asked Gov. Greg Abbott to declare an emergency due to what he calls a “water crisis” in the Rio Grande Valley.

Texas state Rep. Eddie Canales, D-Edinburg, sent Abbott a letter Wednesday asking for additional state assistance to save agriculture in the region, which is suffering due to a lack of water to grow crops.

A 50-year-old sugar mill closed last month and border communities are considering hard water conservation methods — that could include halting future housing developments — because of dwindling water reserves due to water owed the United States by Mexico.

“Please declare a state of disaster in our region,” Canales wrote. “The situation has reached a point of crisis, and I believe a declaration of emergency is essential to mobilize the necessary resources and support for our …