Rio Grande Threatened By Barriers at Eagle Pass
By Dr. Adriana E. Martinez.
Like most of us here in Eagle Pass, I grew up on the Rio Grande and it fostered in me a love for nature and water and the river is a true symbol of two cultures coming together. The Rio Grande is where I first learned I could do science outside, studying the interconnectedness of humans and rivers. I have studied rivers for 20 years and today I study the Rio Grande and how the fence and buoys at Eagle Pass and elsewhere have affected the river.
The first phase began in 2008 when the federal fence appeared a good distance away from the river. My research shows that during large floods, like those in 2010, 2013, and 2014, the fence will slow down the water, acting like a dam. As was noted by many here, debris like tires, branches, and wood gets trapped against the fence, creating a wall that water can’t pass through when the flood is retreating back to the main river channel. This means that the flood waters will remain longer, damaging property and potentially breed water borne illnesses and insects. Also, the fence gaps are the only place water can get through, so they end up funneling fast water, creating dangerous conditions. Within the main river channel, the fence causes water to speed up, causing the bottom of the channel to erode. This could destabilize bridges and dams downstream and introduces sediment into the water that serves as our water source.
Since 2008, Texas has added more fence and empty shipping containers immediately along the bank of the river. My research on these fence sections shows that the same effects from above will be amplified because these changes are directly beside the channel. Now, the containers make the river act like a large chute, channeling the large force of water during floods to be concentrated within the channel and unable to spill out into the flat floodplain at Shelby Park and the golf course. This means that erosion is even more likely and in greater quantities. The containers also have the possibility of floating once the flood waters rise above the main channel, which typically happens about every other year. Empty containers will easily be moved by flood flows where they can crash into bridge piers, dams, or buildings near the river. The concertina wire also causes damage. I’ve witnessed balls of wire in the middle of the river channel on river bars, waiting for flood waters to move them. This wire can get trapped along bridges, damage habitat, or worse, people.
.But even with the federal fence, and the state fence, nothing has been as significant as the buoys that were installed this past July. Even closer than the fence on the floodplain or along the channel, the buoys are IN the channel. Placing the buoys directly in the channel means that no matter the flow, low or high, they are deflecting the water to the left and the right for one thousand feet – a distance unlike any natural feature. Instead of the water being allowed to flow directly downstream as it normally does, the buoys act like a string of boulders in a river, creating faster water to the left and the right, and slower water within the buoys themselves. And, along with the buoys, cement blocks were installed that the buoys are tied to that act like boulders, too. Within the buoys, the water has become slower because the water is deflected away. This causes sediment to deposit within the buoys, which I have already been able to measure while on the river. This will eventually create a river bar, and, if allowed to continue, a permanent island with vegetation. The longer the buoys stay in the channel, the larger this river bar and island become, changing flow conditions and violating the treaties we have with Mexico that state we cannot alter flow (for these reasons!). During floods, the buoys could also become disconnected, crashing into bridges, dams, or buildings downstream. The buoys are not installed correctly so they are not able float when the water rises during floods and when the buoys were installed, the state leveled four natural islands when they did not have the permits or permission from the US Army Corp of Engineers or Mexico to do so. One island was connected to the mainland during this time just upstream of Shelby Park. Changing the islands in this way will also change the way that water flows in the river.
These efforts are not working given the recent increase in migrant crossings. Instead, we should enact federal and state policies that provide more immigrant judges and personnel for processing asylum seekers. Maybe then the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass can become an area for recreation and local enjoyment, rather than inaccessible area it appears to be today.
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Dr. Adriana E. Martinez is an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She received a Bachelor’s and Master’s at Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. at the University of Oregon in Geography specializing in Fluvial Geomorphology (how rivers shape the landscape). She has published extensively on human impacts on rivers.
