Edinburg commits $10.5m for 3,000 acre-feet of additional Rio Grande water
City of Edinburg Utilities Department, Texas · Meeting date: October 20, 2026 · Published: October 21, 2026
Edinburg City Council has authorised a second amendment to its permanent supply and delivery agreement with Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1, buying 3,000 acre-feet per year of additional municipal-use water. The deal requires an initial $3.5 million payment by 31 October and a further $7 million within 18 months of full execution.
Key points
- The approved amendment purchases 3,000 acre-feet per annum of additional municipal water rights for $10.5 million, or $3,500 per acre-foot.
- Edinburg must pay $3.5 million for the first 1,000 acre-feet by 31 October 2026 and $7 million for the remaining 2,000 acre-feet within 18 months of execution.
- The original 2020 agreement covered 1,091 acre-feet per year of municipal water; the city had previously bought 1,666.67 acre-feet from a 2021 amendment.
- The underlying contract provides for untreated, non-potable Rio Grande water to be delivered through the irrigation district's system.
Full report
Edinburg City Council has authorised a $10.5 million acquisition of 3,000 acre-feet per year of additional municipal water rights from Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 1, extending the city’s permanent water supply and delivery agreement.
Amendment No. 2 sets the price at $3,500 per acre-foot and divides the purchase into two tranches. Edinburg is to pay $3.5 million for 1,000 acre-feet by 31 October 2026, followed by $7 million for 2,000 acre-feet no later than 18 months after the amendment is fully executed. If the city does not pay an outstanding balance by the agreed deadline, the irrigation district may terminate the sale of unpaid water.
The purchase adds to a supply arrangement first approved in April 2020, when Edinburg agreed to buy 1,091 acre-feet of municipal water for a price not exceeding $3.00025 million. The underlying agreement covers raw, untreated and non-potable water diverted from the Rio Grande River and delivered by the irrigation district through its facilities.
A first amendment, approved in March 2021, provided for a further 3,000 acre-feet. However, Edinburg purchased 1,666.67 acre-feet of that volume because of available funding, according to the utilities department.
Under the permanent agreement, the district is to seek conversion of sufficient Class A irrigation rights to meet its municipal-use supply obligations to Edinburg. The city may request deliveries at the designated delivery point, subject to the contract’s terms, including delivery charges, energy pass-through costs and provisions addressing conveyance losses.
The approval is the principal supply-side decision at the meeting, alongside consent-agenda approvals for annual water and wastewater treatment chemicals and development-related water-service arrangements.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council Meeting, City of Edinburg Utilities Department