So much for the drought in Texas.

Mexico’s water release not part of bi-national treaty, U.S. officials say

Posted: Saturday, March 23, 2013 12:15 am
Allen Essex | Valley Morning Star

Mexico released water into the Rio Grande on Friday, but it is not part of Mexico’s water payment to the United States, nor is it intended to relieve water shortages here, officials said.

Meanwhile, federal lawmakers were still waiting Friday evening for a response from the U.S. State Department on the status of its negotiations with Mexico about meeting its obligations under a water-sharing treaty.

Water released Friday by Mexican officials from Rio San Juan was not the additional water requested by U.S. and Texas officials as required by the 1944 Guadalupe water treaty, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa said.

“That water is from below Falcon dam and was not intended for us,” Patricia Guillermo, Hinojosa’s chief of communications, said.

The water was released for use on the Mexican side and is not part of the approximately 400,000 acre-feet deficit under its treaty obligations, Guillermo said.

Hinojosa and other members of Congress along the Texas-Mexico border were hoping for a response by Friday to a State Department request that Mexico release more of the water that is owes under the treaty. However, no new developments had been reported, Hinojosa said in a statement released just before 5 p.m.

"As of close of business on Friday, I had not received any word from the U.S. State Department on the status of their negotiations with Mexico on the release of water to Texas,” he said. “It is the State Department’s responsibility to represent the United States in these negotiations.”

Border congressional members will continue to keep the issue as a high priority, Hinojosa said.

“I along with my fellow congressional border colleagues will continue to press the State Department to give this the high priority and urgency that it deserves," Hinojosa said.

Cameron County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said Friday that it might be time for U.S. congressmen from South Texas to prompt President Barack Obama to get involved in talks about getting Mexico to release water it owes to this country.

“The congressional leadership is doing all it can do. It is time for the president or his administration or someone at that level to get actively involved, if they are not doing so already; maybe calling Mexico City and getting president-to-president talks,” the county judge said.

“What they are doing now appears to not be working. … Maybe President Obama getting together with President (Enrique Peña) Nieto as soon as possible and maybe address it at that level, maybe that will get something moving.”

Sally Spener, the El Paso-based spokeswoman for the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, deferred comment on Friday to members of Congress.

But, Spener said it is not accurate to say Mexico is not releasing any water as it is obligated to provide under the 1944 treaty.


Mexico is about half-way through a five-year cycle and has released about 400,000 acre-feet less than is required. But Mexico has until Oct. 24, 2015, to provide a total of 1,750,000 acre-feet over the five-year cycle that ends then, Spener said.