The State Department’s controversial denial of a request by Mexico for a special delivery of Colorado River water to Tijuana is raising concern over future water negotiations.
The rejection announced on March 20 was the first in 81 years of cooperation over the dwindling flow from the river.
The State Department blamed Mexico for failing to make water transfers to Texas, though that state does not get water from the Colorado.
“Mexico’s continued shortfalls in its water deliveries under the 1944 water-sharing treaty are decimating American agriculture — particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley,” the department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a post on X.
Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico is required to transfer water to the United States every five years from the two dams the countries share on the Texas border.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described the issue as an important one that is being addressed.
“It is being addressed by (national water agency) Conagua and CILA (International Boundary and Water Commission), which is in charge of reviewing this treaty,” Sheinbaum said in comment before the State Department’s announcement.
Stephen Mumme, a political scientist at Colorado State University, told the political website TheHill.com that the State Department’s action could derail negotiations over long-term sharing of the vital river.
“This is not designed to encourage Mexican cooperation, and Mexico can drag its feet in any number of ways,” he added.
Mexico is entitled to 1.5 million acre-feet of water each year, which is the historic flow into the Gulf of California.
Reuters contributed to this article.
