JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report) – It’s going to take an act of God or some savvy last-minute negotiating for Mexico to liquidate its enormous water debt with the United States by October 24.
A new minute to the 1944 binational water treatment was signed late last year and American officials particularly in Texas have been pressing for Mexico to catch up on late – very late – water deliveries to the Rio Grande.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pulled no punches during a visit to South Texas last week.
“Mexico is behind 1.3 million acre-feet of water. The result is devastating to South Texas farmers and ranchers,” he told reporters, adding that a sugar mill has closed, farmland is idle and people are losing jobs because of the lack of water.
But the fact remains that northern Mexico is experiencing a prolonged drought and reservoirs on both sides of the border are running low, a Mexican official familiar with the issue told Border Report.
La Boquilla Dam in southern Chihuahua is at 15% capacity, Las Virgenes is at 11.7%, according to data from CONAGUA, the Mexican water commission.
“We want to comply with the treaty – from which both countries benefit greatly. But we are in a drought situation made worse in recent years due to factors such as climate change,” the official told Border Report. Droughts are part of the natural cycle, but in recent years they seem to happen more often.
The official said Mexico is evaluating options to mitigate the water debt before October and that both governments are being respectful and cooperative to reach a solution. But, it wouldn’t hurt if major storms drop substantial amounts of water on the reservoirs in the next few months, he added.
The 1944 treaty requires the U.S. to deliver water to Mexico from the Colorado River and Mexico to apportion the water from six Rio Grande tributaries from Chihuahua to Tamaulipas.
Mexico must deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water per year to the United States, or 1.75 million over a five-year cycle. Seven months prior to the deadline, 70% of the balance remains outstanding.
“The end of the five-year cycle isn’t until October, but of course, it would be virtually impossible for Mexico to catch up by then,” an official with the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission told Border Report in an email Wednesday. “We have repeatedly asked Mexico to give us a specific plan on how they intend to make up this shortfall.”
The IBWC acknowledges its Mexican counterparts have said drought conditions have prevented them from fulfilling their obligations.
The two countries faced a similar impasse five years ago. Mexico ended up signing over to the United States water rights at Falcon and Amistad reservoirs in Texas.
In an interview Wednesday with Mexico’s Televisa, Manuel Morales, secretary of CILA (the Mexican Section of IBWC), said a number of options are on the table.
“It’s complicated, but we are analyzing options. Let’s remember the treaty says if there’s drought conditions, Mexico has an additional five years to make up the shortfall in addition to its next five-year cycle obligations,” Morales told Televisa. “There is a drought, a severe drought particularly in the Upper Rio Grande basin – the Conchos River. And that has contributed to Mexico experiencing a delay in its water deliveries.”
Morales said U.S. reservoirs also are low.
Water Data for Texas reported Falcon Lake 14.6% full as of Wednesday and Amistad at 25.8%. “This is indicative of the prevailing drought situation in the Rio Grande basin,” he told Televisa.