S.C.R. No. 13
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Mexico's failure to fulfill its water deliveries to
the United States according to the stipulations of a 1944 treaty
between the two countries significantly harms the interests of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, The Rio Grande is both an interstate and
international river arising in the mountains of Colorado and
flowing in a southerly direction through New Mexico, where it forms
the border between the United States and Mexico beginning near
El Paso; the river is a shared and vital resource providing
municipal water for millions of Texans and irrigation water for
hundreds of thousands of acres in Texas; and
WHEREAS, Below Fort Quitman, the waters of the Rio Grande are
apportioned to the United States and to Mexico per the terms of the
1944 Treaty, "Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana
Rivers and of the Rio Grande"; Article IV of the treaty requires
that inflows from certain named tributaries of the Rio Grande be
apportioned one-third to the United States and two-thirds to
Mexico; and
WHEREAS, The 1944 Treaty specifically requires that "this
third shall not be less, as an average amount in cycles of five
consecutive years, than 350,000 acre-feet (431,721,000 cubic
meters) annually"; Mexico is allowed to deliver less than this
annual average amount of water during a five-year cycle only in the
event of an extraordinary drought, and not all years in a delivery
cycle reflect extraordinary drought conditions; and
WHEREAS, Many municipal, industrial, and agricultural water
users in Texas rely almost exclusively on these waters from the Rio
Grande for their water supplies; it is thus critical to the state's
interests that, during years in which extraordinary drought is not
present, Mexico take all necessary measures to address accumulated
water delivery deficits; and
WHEREAS, Mexico has failed to comply with its obligations
under this treaty regularly over the last three decades, and it is
now significantly behind in fulfilling them; in the current cycle,
Mexico is 984,814 acre-feet in arrears; and
WHEREAS, During the past 10 years, Mexico has expanded crop
production in Chihuahua, resulting in the use of water volumes
exceeding the annual average Mexico agreed to deliver under the
treaty; this increase has directly impacted water availability for
downstream users in the RGV, creating economic and environmental
concerns; the water reserves in the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs
are at historically low levels; shortages have disrupted key
sectors, leading to the loss of sugarcane production, significant
reductions in fruit and vegetable farming, and stalled housing
developments; the only sugar mill in Texas closed permanently in
2024; moreover, rural municipalities have been forced to purchase
water from outside districts, incurring up to 60 percent higher
monthly costs; and
WHEREAS, The 1944 Treaty requires that the United States
Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, which
is a subdivision of the United States Department of State, ensure
compliance with the terms of the 1944 Treaty; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has
conveyed and communicated these issues and concerns to the
International Boundary and Water Commission, and it is vital that
the IBWC and the state department recognize the critical
socioeconomic importance of this issue; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the U.S. Department of State and the
United States Section of the International Boundary and Water
Commission to take appropriate action to ensure that Mexico
complies with the 1944 Treaty regarding shared water resources and
that they take all necessary steps to make deliveries to the United
States a priority during annual water allocation deliberations;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the U.S. secretary of state and to the
commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission,
United States and Mexico.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 13 was adopted by the Senate
on March 19, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 13 was adopted by the House
on April 29, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 1, three
present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor