Stephanie Sy:
That water is owed to farmers here in the Rio Grande Valley as part of a more-than-80-year-old treaty that requires Mexico to share some of the water that winds through its land.
Signed in 1944, the treaty establishes that the U.S. will release a minimum of nearly 500 billion gallons of water from the Colorado River to Mexico annually, providing water for agriculture in the Mexicali Valley and drinking water for large cities like Tijuana.
In return, Mexico will release a minimum of 114 billion gallons of water from the Rio Conchos and other tributaries to the Rio Grande annually, providing water for farmers and residents in the Rio Grande Valley. The treaty stipulates that any water debt should carry over to the next five-year cycle in times of extraordinary drought.
But critics say drought is not the only reason Mexico hasn’t upheld its end of the bargain.
Sonny Hinojosa, Former Water District General Manager, Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2: Mexico is capturing the water that used to flow freely into the Rio Grande.
