Mexico’s omission responds to an intense drought that has been plaguing the north of the territory for years, so experts believe that the treaty should be updated and consider the impacts of climate change.
Especially because The United States has decreased the amount of liquid it gives to Mexico according to the storage levels of the dams it manages.
50% of water remains pending
The Water Treaty establishes a 5-year cycle for both countries to share a certain amount of water. The United States must deliver 1,850 million cubic meters of the Colorado River. The quota for Mexico is 2,158.6 million cubic meters of the Río Bravo.
On October 24, this five-year period, which began in 2020, ended without Mexico being able to deliver that amount. According to the latest report from the International Boundary and Water Commission, the country sent only 1,091 million cubic meters, that is, 50% of what was agreed.
Mexico’s delays bothered Texas farmers, who since April have reported impacts due to lack of water. This created a new problem between both countries.
Donald Trump, president of the United States, threatened Mexico with sanctions and tariffs if it did not deliver the water. National authorities negotiated with Washington and reached an agreement on April 28, of which they did not disclose the specific details.
It was only reported that Mexico would make an immediate water transfer at that time and during the next rainy season, but ensuring water supply to the Mexican populations that depend on the Río Bravo.
Despite this agreement, the dissatisfaction of Texas farmers threatens to reopen the front again. After concluding the five-year period and verifying non-compliance, they asked the Office of the United States Trade Representative to include the Water Treaty in the renegotiation of the USMCA.
Likewise, Texas Congresswoman Mónica de la Cruz pointed out that during a hearing of the House Agriculture Committee, the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, committed to defending the inclusion of the 1944 Water Treaty in the USMCA.
“Throughout the negotiation process, I will continue to work alongside the Trump administration to fight for South Texas and ensure the inclusion of the 1944 Water Treaty in the final 2026 USMCA agreement,” De la Cruz wrote in an article on the site. Washington Examiner .
Water is as vital to our communities as our trade relationship with Mexico, and it is time for our agreements to reflect this.
Mónica de la Cruz, congresswoman from Texas.
The US delivered 19% less water
However, the United States has also decreased the amount of water it must deliver to Mexico, said Samuel Sandoval, associate director of the Permanent Binational Water Forum.
Mexico had the number one priority in the Colorado River basin. Now, Mexico has lost the priority of water,”
Samuel Sandoval, associate director of the Permanent Binational Water Forum.
In 2021, the two countries signed Minute 323, which establishes that, if Hoover Dam storage is low, the United States will reduce the delivery of water to Mexico. You can also store a share and release it later. Later, in 2024, Act 330 arrived, which reduces the annual allocation of water to Mexico.
“Two agreements were signed and, in these two agreements, the water that Mexico receives from the United States is basically being reduced,” Sandoval explained in the keynote conference “Shared waters of the Colorado River and Tijuana River.”
Since then, every year the country receives less water. In 2021, the United States cut 51 million cubic meters, equivalent to 3% of the allocation established in the Treaty, which were classified as “recoverable water” in other years.
By 2025, the reduction reached 19%, with 346 million cubic meters less. According to the data presented by Sandoval, of that amount, Mexico has the opportunity to recover only 130 million later.
“So, since 2021, we have been reducing the amount of water that Mexico receives from the United States,” said the also professor at the University of California Davis.
