{ "id": "R45430", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R45430", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 588642, "date": "2018-12-12", "retrieved": "2018-12-13T14:03:37.770531", "title": "Sharing the Colorado River and the Rio Grande: Cooperation and Conflict with Mexico", "summary": "The United States and Mexico share the waters of the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. A bilateral water treaty from 1944 (the 1944 Water Treaty) and other binational agreements guide how the two governments share the flows of these rivers. The binational International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) administers these agreements. Since 1944, the IBWC has been the principal venue for addressing river-related disputes between the United States and Mexico. The 1944 Water Treaty authorizes the IBWC to develop rules and to issue proposed decisions, called minutes, regarding matters related to the treaty\u2019s execution and interpretation. \nWater Delivery Requirements Established in Binational Agreements. The United States\u2019 and Mexico\u2019s water-delivery obligations derive from multiple treaty sources and vary depending on the body of water. Under the 1944 Water Treaty, the United States is required to provide Mexico with 1.5 million acre-feet (AF) of Colorado River water annually. The 1944 Water Treaty also addresses the nations\u2019 respective rights to waters of the Rio Grande downstream of Fort Quitman, TX. It requires Mexico to deliver to the United States an annual minimum of 350,000 AF of water, measured in five-year cycles (i.e., 1.75 million AF over five years). For waters of the Rio Grande upstream of Fort Quitman, a 1906 bilateral convention requires the United States annually to deliver 60,000 AF of water to Mexico. \nDevelopments in the Colorado River Basin. The United States continues to meet its Colorado River annual delivery requirements to Mexico pursuant to the 1944 Water Treaty. At the forefront of recent IBWC actions on the Colorado River are efforts to cooperatively manage the Colorado River\u2019s water and infrastructure to improve water availability during drought and to restore and protect riverine ecosystems. Minute 323 is a set of binational measures in the Colorado River basin that provides for binational cooperative basin water management, including environmental flows to restore riverine habitat. Minute 323 also provides for Mexico to share in cutbacks during shortage conditions in the U.S. portion of the basin. Additionally, Minute 323 designates a \u201cMexican Water Reserve\u201d through which Mexico can delay its water deliveries from the United States and store its delayed deliveries upstream at Lake Mead, thereby increasing the lake\u2019s elevation. Lake Mead elevation is the baseline used for determining shortage conditions and associated water delivery cutbacks for the lower Colorado River basin states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. Recent congressional attention to the Colorado River basin has related largely to oversight of Minute 323 implementation and water management during potential shortage conditions. \nDevelopments in the Rio Grande Basin. On multiple occasions since 1994, Mexico has not met its Rio Grande delivery obligations within the five-year cycle established by the 1944 Water Treaty. For example, Mexico fell 15% below its water-delivery obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty for the five-year cycle from 2010 to 2015. Mexico addressed its deficit by early 2016. The October 2015 to October 2020 cycle is under way. Mexico offset its below-target deliveries for the first year of this cycle with additional deliveries in the second year. IBWC indicates that Mexico delivered less than its 350,000 AF in the third year of the cycle; however, higher deliveries in the second year resulted in Mexico\u2019s deliveries being almost at 98% of the three-year cumulative delivery target of 1.05 million AF. \nSome U.S. stakeholders promote the adoption of mechanisms to achieve a water-delivery regime by Mexico that provides more reliability and benefit for U.S. interests in Texas. The IBWC is developing a binational model for water management in the Rio Grande, as part of its broader effort to improve reliability in Mexico\u2019s water deliveries. Congress has been involved in the recent Rio Grande water-sharing issues through oversight. Congress requires the U.S. Department of State to report annually on Mexico\u2019s deliveries and on efforts to improve Mexico\u2019s treaty compliance.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45430", "sha1": "5a790fd7e2eb0bdb52c9fa72d5dc50f331b62477", "filename": "files/20181212_R45430_5a790fd7e2eb0bdb52c9fa72d5dc50f331b62477.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45430_files&id=/2.png": "files/20181212_R45430_images_6752360245990cf18e74b78814c49ed547c021b4.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45430_files&id=/3.png": "files/20181212_R45430_images_09105213a57f2f8e276bf04a5de855e1e2ee6020.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45430_files&id=/1.png": "files/20181212_R45430_images_a50daa43143d4b1f205a86d399b35d7aa48e02c0.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45430_files&id=/4.png": "files/20181212_R45430_images_305e9afed0479c938eef6cca2462fb901be5fffb.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45430_files&id=/0.png": "files/20181212_R45430_images_d69e928a2551ad366b2523b621a9916bc1fe14a2.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45430_files&id=/5.png": "files/20181212_R45430_images_9090406f12a668a242e74d723cfb87be5dcb0fce.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45430", "sha1": "1a2a332132bcacf6e72487ed6603faf9e4709070", "filename": "files/20181212_R45430_1a2a332132bcacf6e72487ed6603faf9e4709070.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Energy Policy", "Foreign Affairs" ] }