Mexico agrees to make more predictable water deliveries to the US
MEXICO CITY — Mexico and the United States announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement under which Mexico would send a minimum amount of water per year to the United States.
President Donald Trump had threatened to increase tariffs by 5% on Mexican imports if he did not deliver more water. Countries have been negotiating on the issue for months.
Under the new agreement, Mexico will send at least 350,000 acre-feet of water to the United States each year during the current five-year cycle. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover 1 acre of land to a depth of 1 foot.
Mexico’s commitment to a minimum annual delivery amount represents a change from what is required by the 1944 Water Treaty.
Under the existing treaty, Mexico must deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water from six tributaries to the United States every five years. The average annual amount is 350,000 acre-feet, but the United States complains that Mexico accumulates water debt in the early years of a cycle that harms Texas farmers before finally meeting treaty requirements.
In return, the United States gives Mexico even more water from other water sources further west along their shared border.
The agreement reached between the governments would balance deliveries from Mexico.
Mexico’s ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Agriculture confirmed a deal with the United States in a statement Tuesday, but did not include the agreed amount. “Mexico has confirmed its willingness to guarantee the delivery of a minimum annual quantity agreed by both countries,” the statement said.
Although the U.S. government celebrated the deal as a victory, it is a sensitive issue in Mexico, particularly among farmers in drought-stricken northern states.
In the border state of Tamaulipas, across from Texas, farmers have said in recent weeks that lack of water has led some to not plant crops.
The agreement follows a telephone conversation last week between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
In December, Sheinbaum said Mexico would send more water to cover existing debt.
