Ensure that United States diplomats and officials of the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission are able to advance efforts seeking compliance by the United Mexican States with the 1944 Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande.

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Legislation Details

The legislation aims to ensure U.S. diplomats and officials can work towards Mexico’s compliance with the 1944 Treaty on the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande.
The 1944 Treaty requires Mexico to supply the U.S. with a minimum annual water amount, averaging 350,000 acre-feet over five consecutive years.
There have been persistent irrigation water shortages in the Lower Rio Grande Valley since the 1990s, worsened by Mexico’s failure to meet its treaty obligations.
By March 2024, Mexico had delivered less than 400,000 acre-feet of water for the five-year period starting October 2020, indicating non-compliance with the treaty.
A report estimated that a complete lack of irrigation water in 2024 could result in a $495,800,000 direct revenue loss in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The closure of Texas’s only sugar mill in 2024 was attributed to the water scarcity resulting from treaty non-compliance.
Despite negotiations for a Minute to the Treaty to address non-compliance, the U.S. and Mexico had not reached an agreement by May 1, 2024.
The Secretary of State is directed to use all diplomatic means to ensure compliance by Mexico with the treaty and to establish reliable future water deliveries.

The legislation aims to ensure U.S. diplomats and officials can work towards Mexico’s compliance with the 1944 Treaty on the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande.
The 1944 Treaty requires Mexico to supply the U.S. with a minimum annual water amount, averaging 350,000 acre-feet over five consecutive years.
There have been persistent irrigation water shortages in the Lower Rio Grande Valley since the 1990s, worsened by Mexico’s failure to meet its treaty obligations.
By March 2024, Mexico had delivered less than 400,000 acre-feet of water for the five-year period starting October 2020, indicating non-compliance with the treaty.
A report estimated that a complete lack of irrigation water in 2024 could result in a $495,800,000 direct revenue loss in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The closure of Texas’s only sugar mill in 2024 was attributed to the water scarcity resulting from treaty non-compliance.
Despite negotiations for a Minute to the Treaty to address non-compliance, the U.S. and Mexico had not reached an agreement by May 1, 2024.
The Secretary of State is directed to use all diplomatic means to ensure compliance by Mexico with the treaty and to establish reliable future water deliveries.