Devils River Conservancy

THE DEVILS RIVER CONSERVANCY, LOCATED IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS NEAR THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER, WILL ESTABLISH A NEW WATERSHED GROUP COMPRISED OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE LOWER DEVILS RIVER WATERSHED. THE CONSERVANCY WILL RECRUIT STAKEHOLDERS, DEVELOP GOALS, GATHER DATA TO CREATE A WATERSHED INVENTORY, IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE DATA GAPS AND NEEDS AND DEVELOP A GIS DATABASE CUMULATING IN A RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN. THE DEVILS RIVER'S BASEFLOWS ARE ENTIRELY SUPPORTED BY GROUNDWATER AND PROVIDE CRITICAL FRESHWATER FLOWS TO AMISTAD RESERVOIR AND THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY. UNREGULATED GROUNDWATER PUMPING, CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS, AND DROUGHT THREATEN WATER SUPPLIES FOR PEOPLE, AGRICULTURE, AND FISH AND WILDLIFE DEPENDENT ON THE DEVILS RIVER. THE CONSERVANCY WILL BRING STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER TO RESOLVE LONGSTANDING DISAGREEMENT, STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS, BUILD TRUST AND A UNIFIED VISION AMONGST THE COMMUNITY, AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE REGION'S WATER SUPPLY. STAKEHOLDERS IN THE WATERSHED INCLUDE THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT, THE AGRICULTURE AND RANCHING COMMUNITY, ENERGY TRANSPORTATION AND PRODUCTION, UNIVERSITIES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENTITIES.