Upheaval in Quemado, Local Ranches Drowned by Millions of Gallons

Local ranchers around the area are crying foul after millions of gallons of water have flooded roads and ranches near the Quemado, Texas area. This after a 20 foot section of the main irrigation canal wall broke loose inundating roadways and property. Several properties toured revealed flooding on roadways leading into and out of certain sections of the expansive Maverick County ranch areas. Farm roads 1908, 1666 and 155I were all but closed to ranchers and residents on the other side of the flood plain.

Residents of the area are up in arms citing incompetence on the part of the Maverick County Water Control and Improvement District. The same residents( some of whom did not wish to be named) argue that the Water Control District is spending less and less time on the irrigation aspects of their duties and redirecting that focus to the hydro-power generator. There are approximately 90 miles of main canals, 200 miles of primary lateral canals in the District, with about another 250 miles of sub lateral canals and farm ditches. Water flowing in the Main Canal that is not needed for irrigation purposes in the upper part of the District and that is not diverted into the Canal Extension for use in the lower part of the District, is passed through the Power Plant used to generate hydropower and then returned to the Rio Grande. Approximately 95 percent of the water normally diverted from the Rio Grande into the District’s Main Canal is used for hydropower generation and then returned to the river. The District also receives credit from the State of Texas for water that is returned to the Rio Grande as measured at 13 different return-flow monitoring stations. Such return flows primarily include seepage water ...