A crew works on upgrading pipes and valves at a North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water plant in Donna, Texas, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. In order to increase the amount of water the plant is able to distribute, pipes were upgraded, replaced and connected to the plant's existing facility with the newly expanded infrastructure. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)
Rigoberto Ortañes looks at a rising pool of water, flooding the excavation site, as a crew works on upgrading pipes and valves at a North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water plant in Donna, Texas, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. The utility company supplies water to eastern Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and northwestern Cameron County. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)
Members of the public listen to Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. as he begins to lead a water conservation meeting with various stakeholders across the Rio Grande Valley at the county courthouse on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)
Jim Darling, chair of the Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group and former McAllen mayor, points at rivers and tributaries shown on a map at the South McAllen Water Plant, in McAllen, Texas, on Monday, July 15, 2024. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)
North Alamo Water Supply Corporation General Manager Steven P. Sanchez stands for a portrait at the NAWSC water treatment facility in Edinburg, Texas, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)
Filtered groundwater is desalinated through reverse osmosis at the Southmost Regional Water Authority brackish groundwater treatment facility in Brownsville, Texas, on Monday, July 15, 2024. The facility treats water to distribute to its five partners, including the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, its main customer and is seeking funding to expand the facility in order to address the region's drought and water shortage. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)
A former channel of the Rio Grande, or resaca, winds through agriculture fields near Los Fresnos, Texas, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The Rio Grande Valley is facing a drought, greatly affecting farmers in the region. (Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune via AP)