The United States government is once again pressuring Mexico to fully comply with the 1944 Water Treaty. This bilateral agreement stipulates that both countries will share the water from the international dams along their shared border.
In a five-year cycle, the United States must deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River. Mexico’s share is 2.1586 billion cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
In response to the Trump administration’s statement, the Rio Grande Basin Council indicated that Mexico has until October 2030 to make up the water it owes.
“According to the Treaty, the shortfall of 1.068 billion cubic meters from the end of Cycle 36 is made up in the following cycle; that is, Mexico has until October 24, 2030, to make up the water, and it is made up with water from the same tributaries,” they said.
Last week, officials from the U.S. State Department, the Department of Agriculture, and the International Boundary and Water Commission met with their Mexican counterparts to address the issue, which has opened a new front in the bilateral relationship since April.
The United States alleges that Mexico’s non-compliance has exacerbated water scarcity in Texas and contributed to crop losses “worth hundreds of millions of dollars for farmers.”
According to the U.S. government, additional information was requested from Mexico during the meeting with government representatives, and a second meeting will be held “to consider other options.”
“Officials reviewed available water resources, and the United States pressed for the maximum possible amount to be supplied to Texas users,” the State Department stated.
The administration of Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum declared in recent days that it will do everything possible to fulfill the water shortfall, based on the availability stored in the dams, which reported low levels between 2020 and 2025 due to droughts.
For the same reason, the United States has reduced the amount of water it delivers to Mexico. In 2021, the two countries signed Minute 323, which stipulates that if the Hoover Dam’s water level is low, the United States will reduce the amount of water it sends. It may also store a portion and release it later.
Based on this, by 2025 the reduction reached 19%, with 346 million cubic meters less, according to data from Samuel Sandoval, associate director of the Permanent Forum on Binational Waters and professor at the University of California, Davis.
Despite this, Sheinbaum denies that the treaty needs renegotiation, while President Donald Trump demands an immediate action plan for Mexico to comply with the agreement.
“President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made it clear that Mexico must fulfill its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty,” the statement adds.
“This includes having a plan to reliably meet the requirements of the Water Treaty that takes into account the needs of Texas water users. We remain committed to working with Mexico to resolve this issue through diplomatic channels.”
Source: politico.expansion
