EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — President Donald Trump recently addressed Mexico’s failure to pay the water it owes the U.S. under a decades-old treaty.
Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico must send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande every five years, and the United States is to pay Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet of water annually via the Colorado River out West.
Mexico, however, has fallen behind on its payments.
In a social media post in April, Trump said in part, “This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly.” Not long after, Mexico committed to deliver more water to the U.S. using alternate means.
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) is responsible for enforcing the 1944 water treaty. It is a binational body with a counterpart in Mexico.
In this episode of Border Report Live, host Rudy Mireles and correspondent Sandra Sanchez speak with former IBWC Commissioner Maria Elena Giner, who oversaw some changes to the treaty.
The water payments are just one of several water-related issues at which the U.S. and Mexico are at odds.
In San Diego, raw sewage has been flowing in from Mexico for decades via the Tijuana River, which runs from the south to the north. When it rains, tons of debris and trash, in addition to millions of gallons of sewage-tainted water, make their way north of the border and, eventually, into the Pacific Ocean. The bacteria in the water has forced the closure of beaches in southern San Diego that have already been in place for years.
Officials on both sides of the border often say that the best way to address the issue is through collaboration, and both countries have agreed to spend millions of dollars to build and refurbish water treatment plants.
Residents who live in the area and deal with harmful toxins and stench have told Border Report that the process is too slow, and for some, it’s “too little, too late.”
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- US, Mexico agree to split cost of plugging sinkholes, other repairs at Amistad Dam
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