Texas Porch

Water Rights

Rio Grande Water Rights Are Managed by a State Watermaster

A state-appointed Rio Grande Watermaster controls who draws from the Rio Grande, including the many irrigation districts in Hidalgo County.

Hidalgo County Home & Property

A watermaster is a state official who controls how water is taken from a river. The TCEQ Rio Grande Watermaster program covers 16 counties, and Hidalgo is one of them. The watermaster decides who can draw water, how much, and when—covering the Rio Grande from Fort Quitman all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Irrigation districts in the lower valley hold water rights tied to acreage. Those rights carry forward from year to year. They do not reset.

If you are buying farmland or a water right in Hidalgo County, this matters. Talk to TCEQ's watermaster office in Harlingen before you close on any deal. Water rights can be complicated, and the rules have real effects on what you can do with the land.

Source to confirm: TCEQ – Rio Grande Watermaster Program

More Hidalgo County notes

Property Tax Basics

Two Separate Offices Handle Your Property Taxes

Hidalgo County has one office that values your property and a different office that collects the taxes—you need to know which to contact.

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Homestead Exemption

A Homestead Exemption Can Lower Your Tax Bill

If your home is your main residence, you can file for a homestead exemption that reduces how much of its value gets taxed.

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Taxing Units

Your Tax Bill Comes From Many Different Entities

Hidalgo County has 56 active taxing units, so your total tax bill is the sum of rates from several different entities.

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Agricultural Valuation

Farm and Ranch Land Can Be Taxed on Productivity, Not Market Value

Texas law lets qualifying farmland and ranchland be taxed on what it produces rather than what it could sell for, which can cut the tax bill significantly.

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