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Article: Rio Poco: the once-mighty Rio Grande has slowed to a trickle. (Currents).
- Article from:
- E Magazine
- Article date:
- July 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Earth Action Network, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For much of the past two years, crossing the U. S.-Mexico border had never been easier. You just strolled down Boca Chica Beach until you noticed that all of the cars parked on the beach had Mexican license plates. You'd just walked straight into Mexico.
There should have been a river in the way: The mouth of the fourth-longest river in the United States, in fact. But the Rio Grande was gone, sapped completely dry before it could reach the Gulf of Mexico by the thirsty farms and cities of northern Mexico and southern Texas. In its place was a wide sandy beach and a short section of orange nylon fencing erected by U.S. Border Patrol agents trying to stop wayward ...