Samara Flores BROWNSVILLE – The Resaca De La Palma Park in Brownsville is experiencing fluctuating water levels partly due to global warming and extremely hot summers.
According to a news release, the city of Brownsville is experiencing a stage-one drought, increasing its reservoir levels to 32.9% as of Aug. 7.
A resaca is an old horseshoe-shaped river bend that has been naturally cut off from the Rio Grande River over thousands of years. According to the Texas State Historical Association, it relies on rain, irrigation pumping, or stormwater management to maintain its water levels, but limited rainstorms make it difficult to maintain full.
With the extreme heat factor added in, director of the School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences, Teresa Feria said it causes the resaca to evaporate.
“Water is evaporating in areas where [there is] more salt,” Feria said. “Then salt concentration is going to be higher and is what will jeopardize also the life of living organisms are not tolerant to the salty basis.”
According to the resacas at Brownsville ecosystem restoration study, urbanization and disconnection from the Rio Grande Valley have degraded the already fragile resacas.
Can agricultural irrigation and drought conditions pose a further threat to the resaca?
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