The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement following a longstanding water dispute, with Mexico agreeing to release 202,000 acre-free of water.
In 1944, the U.S. and Mexico formed a treaty in which the U.S. agreed to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year via the Colorado River. The water treaty also delineates that the “United States has a right to flows from tributaries that feed the Rio Grande in the United States and one-third of specified Mexican tributaries flows, which must average at least 0.35 million acre-feet (MAF) per year, measured in five- year cycles (1.75 MAF total).”
Mexico has failed to uphold its end of the agreement since the 1990s, routinely delivering the minimum amount of the required limit, with the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) reporting the lack of water delivered “led to the second largest deficit in three decades.”
According to a Texas A&M Agrilife report in 2023, the economic impact of Mexico’s undersupply to the U.Shas contributed to a total loss for row crops estimated at about $43 million and the total loss due to row crops in addition to specialty crops to be approximately $495.8 million.
The water shortages in the Rio Grande Valley have had a significant impact on Texas farmers, with the water crisis is crippling agricultural producers and jeopardizing our local economy, including the loss of the operating sugar mill in Texas resulting in 500 job cuts and nearly devastating the citrus industry.
In a social media post, President Donald Trump said that he would impose a 5 percent tariff on Mexico if it did not “immediately” release 200,000 acre-feet of water before Dec. 31.
On December 12, Trump reached an agreement with Mexico, under which Mexico will release 202,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. beginning December 15.
The U.S. and Mexico are reportedly in negotiations to finalize a plan by the end of January 2026 that will include a second agreement of water deliveries.