EAGLE PASS, Tx — It’s been almost a year since the state of Texas installed border buoys in the Rio Grande.
They were meant to stop migrants from crossing into Texas, but one researcher says those buoys are having a negative impact on the natural flow of the river.
Doctor Adriana Martinez has studied and sampled the water, soil, and plants around the buoys.
She says that in some areas of the river, sediment trapped by the buoys is creating islands underneath the barrier.
Dr. Martinez says the barrier is also diverting the water to the US side of the river.
“Anytime you put anything in the middle of the river, you’re gonna slow the water down there, and when you slow water down, then sediment deposits. It’s a violation of international treaties. We’re not allowed to move the water in any significant way in the channel,” said Dr. Adriana Martinez, River Scientist.
Governor Greg Abbott’s office has not said if any environmental testing has been done on the buoys.
Meanwhile, the courts are still trying to decide whether the floating barrier should remain or be removed.