U.S.-Mexico Dispute on Water Rights in Rio Grande Resurfaces

The longstanding dispute between the US and Mexico regarding water rights in the Rio Grande resurfaced after US Ambassador Tony Garza accused Mexico of not doing enough to comply with its commitments under a 1944 treaty. The treaty obligates Mexico to release water from the Rio Grande to farmers in Texas in exchange for water from the Colorado River.

At the beginning of the year, the two countries reached a compromise on allocations for 2003, committing Mexico to release 350,000 acre feet of water by September (see SourceMex, 2003-01-09).

This agreement apparently was not sufficient to appease the US. Speaking at a conference on bilateral relations in Monterrey in early July, Garza said Mexico had not made enough effort to fulfill the terms of the treaty. He said Mexico had only turned over 60% of the water committed under the treaty.

Statements by US ambassador …

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Publication information: Article title: U.S.-Mexico Dispute on Water Rights in Rio Grande Resurfaces. Contributors: Not available. Magazine title: SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico. Publication date: July 16, 2003. Page number: Not available. © 2009 Latin American Data Base/Latin American Institute. COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group.

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