Mexico and US reach agreement to address Mexico's habit of falling behind in water-sharing payments
Source: Scripps News/AP
Posted 4:46 PM, Nov 09, 2024
Mexico and the U.S. said they reached an agreement they hope will address Mexico’s habit of falling behind on water-sharing payments in the Rio Bravo watershed, also known as the Rio Grande. The agreement announced Saturday provides Mexico with tools and flexibility to deliver water earlier in a five-year cycle under the 1944 U.S.-Mexico water treaty, according to the bilateral International Border and Water Commission.
The proposed tools include better coordination on water conservation, re-use, alternative water sources and other measures. The treaty moves in five-year cycles and allows Mexico to run a water debt in the first four years, if it can make it up in the fifth. That has led Mexico to fall behind, hoping a hurricane or other heavy rains will dump water in the border area.
That has frustrated Texas farmers, who need a predictable supply of water. When a hurricane or tropical storm hits the region, Mexico can play catch-up but at that point, the water isn't needed, and that doesn't always happen. Mexico has long used that wait-and-hope strategy, but it has led to problems in the past, both at home and in the U.S.
Mexico is obliged to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water per year, or about 1.75 million acre-feet (2.15 billion cubic meters) over 5 years. An acre-foot of water is enough to flood a field with one foot of water. The United States, in return, gives Mexico even more water from other water sources farther west.
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/world/mexico-and-us-reach-agreement-to-address-mexicos-habit-of-falling-behind-in-water-sharing-payments