The Brownsville Irrigation District (BID), originally named Cameron County Water and Improvement District Number 5, was created in 1919. It purchased the Indiana Cooperative Canal Company to supply water to the district. In 2000, it officially became the Brownsville Irrigation District. The district provides irrigation and farmland drainage to approximately 20,000 acres in southern Cameron County, Texas. It diverts water from the Rio Grande in accordance with water rights administered by the TCEQ. The district's water conveyance system includes 110 miles of underground pipeline. Water is delivered to fields via alfalfa valves, with pumping stations located on resaca banks throughout the district. BID holds water rights from the State of Texas, administered by the TCEQ. TCEQ Certificate of Adjudication No. A843-000 authorizes the District to divert a maximum quantity of water of 33,949.45 acre-feet of Class A irrigation water per year, if allocated to the District. In addition, TCEQ Certificate of Adjudication No. M843-000 authorizes the District the use of 3,834.000 acre-feet of water per year for municipal purposes.
