Mexico has agreed to send water to Texas as part of the 1944 Water Treaty.
“Mexico has committed to make an immediate transfer of water from international reservoirs and increase the U.S. share of the flow in six of Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced. “These steps will help American farmers, ranchers, and municipalities in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley get much-needed water and reduce shortfalls in deliveries under the 1944 Water Treaty.”
The development is part of the United States and Mexico’s commitment to “develop a long-term plan to reliably meet treaty requirements while addressing outstanding water debts—including through additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on water deliveries that take into consideration the needs of Texas users,” Bruce noted.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the move is a “major win for American agriculture” and follows “weeks of negotiations.”
Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico is required to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water over five years to the United States from the Rio Grande. The United States then delivers 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River.
After Mexico failed to keep up with the water deliveries, President Trump accused the country of “stealing the water from Texas farmers” and threatened to “keep escalating consequences, including tariffs and, maybe even sanctions, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and gives Texas the water they are owed!”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Trump’s warning, saying she was confident that “an agreement will be reached.”
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas relies on the water provided under the treaty.
“The Mexican waters of the international Rio Grande Basin are vital to ensuring that Texas water right holders can irrigate crops, supply water to municipalities, and conduct industrial operations along the Rio Grande,” a statement on the commission’s website says.
“Lack of water along the Rio Grande river negatively impacts many different stakeholders,” the statement adds. “Without the Treaty deliveries, Texas water users are forced to secure alternate sources of water, change crops, and reduce operations.”
