The Texas-Mexico Water Dispute and Its Resolution (?)

The Texas-Mexico Water Dispute and Its Resolution (?) PDF Author: Cyrus Reed
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chihuahua (Mexico : State)
Languages : en
Pages : 692

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Book Description
Between 1992 and 2005, Chihuahua's Río Conchos outflows were at less than 10 percent of their historical average, prompting a highly public dispute with the U.S. over water quantity under terms of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. Still, Mexico made a number of water "payments" and achieved an eventual resolution of the dispute. The resolution focused on a number of steps, including investing over $140 million in irrigation district water conservation projects in the Río Conchos, which has historically provided two-thirds of the Río Grande's water below Fort Quitman. Utilizing a case study approach rooted in political and cultural ecology, the research examines the factors -- from drought to land use change-- purported by different interest groups as contributing to the transboundary Texas-Mexico water dispute and finds at least three major "narratives" emerged in the period to explain the low flows, including drought, dam management and agricultural expansion and land use changes. The dissertation shows, however, that the reduced outflows and reductions in "dam" water to farmers was just one factor in a changing agricultural context in which new land tenure rules, decentralization of water management and the enactment of a more open economic framework precipitated resource use changes within the agricultural areas. In addition, the dissertation examines water and land resource use, including conservation projects, in three specific agricultural areas, and finds significant transformations in markets, policies and climate. Farmers were not just passive victims of reduced water use, the curtailment of government programs, and "privatization" of land and water resources, but adopted alternative water source strategies, began to examine more "conservationist-minded" agricultural practices and shifted cultivation to higher yield crops. Still, many farmers chose to abandon agriculture altogether, as there was some consolidation of resources among wealthier farmers. The "transnationalization" of the Río Conchos which has resulted from the new focus on its water users may influence local decision-making, but the research contends that resource management decisions in the Río Conchos Watershed are influenced and determined by local practices and environments as well as by economic and legal changes brought about by Mexico's inclusion into a globalized economy.

The Texas-Mexico Water Dispute and Its Resolution (?)

The Texas-Mexico Water Dispute and Its Resolution (?) PDF Author: Cyrus Reed
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chihuahua (Mexico : State)
Languages : en
Pages : 692

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Book Description
Between 1992 and 2005, Chihuahua's Río Conchos outflows were at less than 10 percent of their historical average, prompting a highly public dispute with the U.S. over water quantity under terms of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. Still, Mexico made a number of water "payments" and achieved an eventual resolution of the dispute. The resolution focused on a number of steps, including investing over $140 million in irrigation district water conservation projects in the Río Conchos, which has historically provided two-thirds of the Río Grande's water below Fort Quitman. Utilizing a case study approach rooted in political and cultural ecology, the research examines the factors -- from drought to land use change-- purported by different interest groups as contributing to the transboundary Texas-Mexico water dispute and finds at least three major "narratives" emerged in the period to explain the low flows, including drought, dam management and agricultural expansion and land use changes. The dissertation shows, however, that the reduced outflows and reductions in "dam" water to farmers was just one factor in a changing agricultural context in which new land tenure rules, decentralization of water management and the enactment of a more open economic framework precipitated resource use changes within the agricultural areas. In addition, the dissertation examines water and land resource use, including conservation projects, in three specific agricultural areas, and finds significant transformations in markets, policies and climate. Farmers were not just passive victims of reduced water use, the curtailment of government programs, and "privatization" of land and water resources, but adopted alternative water source strategies, began to examine more "conservationist-minded" agricultural practices and shifted cultivation to higher yield crops. Still, many farmers chose to abandon agriculture altogether, as there was some consolidation of resources among wealthier farmers. The "transnationalization" of the Río Conchos which has resulted from the new focus on its water users may influence local decision-making, but the research contends that resource management decisions in the Río Conchos Watershed are influenced and determined by local practices and environments as well as by economic and legal changes brought about by Mexico's inclusion into a globalized economy.

The United States-Mexico Dispute Over the Waters of the Lower Rio Grande River

The United States-Mexico Dispute Over the Waters of the Lower Rio Grande River PDF Author: Stephen R. Viña
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Lower Rio Grande Valley (Tex.)
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Book Description


U.s. Mexican Water Sharing

U.s. Mexican Water Sharing PDF Author: Congressional Research Service
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781544651217
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
The United States and Mexico share the waters of the Colorado River and Rio Grande pursuant to binational agreements. Increasing water demands and reduced supplies deriving from drought and air temperatures increase the challenges and significance of reliable water sharing. The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) is charged with addressing issues that arise during application of binational water treaties. The IBWC is a binational entity with a U.S. Section that operates under foreign policy guidance from the U.S. Department of State. Under the binational 1944 Water Treaty, disputes and new developments can be resolved through agreed-upon interpretations of the treaty, called minutes. Mexican-U.S. relations generally grew closer during the George W. Bush and Obama Administrations. Water sharing was addressed through IBWC technical meetings and bilateral talks between government officials; these meetings and talks were the primary forum for addressing treaty compliance and frustrations of water users in Texas with Mexico's water delivery regime. Treaty minutes were used to enhance bilateral cooperation and provide flexibility in how treaty compliance was accomplished. It remains uncertain what principles will guide and what mechanisms will be used during the Trump Administration to address water conflicts and what role enhanced cooperation (e.g., measures similar to recent binational efforts in the Colorado River basin) may play in U.S.-Mexican water sharing. Colorado River. The Colorado River flows through seven U.S. states before reaching Mexico; 97% of its basin is in the United States. Under the 1944 Water Treaty, the United States is required to provide Mexico with 1.5 million acre-feet (AF) of Colorado River water annually. This figure represents about 10% of the river's average flow. Minute 319 is a set of binational cooperative measures in the Colorado River basin agreed upon in 2012. It provides for more cooperative basin water management, including environmental flows to restore riverine habitat. Minute 319 also provides for Mexico to share in cutbacks during shortage conditions in the basin; such cutbacks are not required under the 1944 Water Treaty. Under Minute 319, Mexico can delay its water deliveries from the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty and store its delayed deliveries in Lake Mead, thereby increasing the lake's elevation. Lake Mead elevation is the baseline used for determining shortage conditions and associated water delivery cutbacks for U.S. lower basin states. Minute 319 is to remain in force through December 31, 2017. It could be extended or replaced with a new minute, or it could be allowed to expire. Negotiations on a new minute were under way at the end of the Obama Administration. For the Colorado River basin, issues before Congress may be largely related to oversight of Minute 319 implementation, as well as developments in negotiations related to the future of Minute 319 or its successor (if any). Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is governed by two separate agreements. Deliveries to Mexico in the northwestern portion of the shared basin (near El Paso/Ciudad Juárez) occur under a 1906 convention, whereas deliveries for the southeastern portion (which is below Fort Quitman, TX) are laid out in the 1944 Water Treaty. Some Members of Congress have raised concerns about the adequacy of Mexico's water deliveries in the Rio Grande basin and the resulting economic impacts, especially in Texas border counties. During the 115th Congress, Members of Congress and other Texas stakeholders may continue their efforts to promote the adoption of mechanisms to achieve a Mexican water-delivery regime that provides more reliability and benefit for Texas.

Resolving Water Disputes Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

Resolving Water Disputes Along the U.S.-Mexico Border PDF Author: Janet M. Tanski
Publisher: Waste-Management Education & Research Consortium
ISBN:
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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The United States  Mexico Dispute Over the Waters of the Lower Rio Grande River

The United States  Mexico Dispute Over the Waters of the Lower Rio Grande River PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The waters from the lower Rio Grande River are shared between the United States and Mexico pursuant to a 1944 Treaty. Beginning in 1992, Mexico claimed that "extraordinary drought" prevented it from fully meeting and repaying its water delivery obligations under the Treaty. Water supplies for users in South Texas (as well as Mexico) were significantly reduced as a result. Mexico owes the United States approximately 730,700 acre feet of water and is under threat of international litigation for allegedly expropriating water at the expense of South Texas water users, though it recently reached an agreement with the United States to eliminate its water debt by September 30, 2005. This report discusses the 1944 Treaty, the events that have led up to the current resolution, and Congress's response to this water crisis. It also discusses some of the proposals that various parties have suggested to help manage and prevent another water debt from occurring. This report will be updated as warranted.

Water Code

Water Code PDF Author: Texas
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Water
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description


Resolution of International Water Disputes

Resolution of International Water Disputes PDF Author: Permanent Court of Arbitration. International Bureau
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041120297
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 458

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Book Description
This fifth volume in the Permanent Court of Arbitration/Peace Palace Papers series reproduces the work of the 6th International Law Seminar held at the Peace Palace on November 8, 2002. The Seminar's distinguished panelists and participants focused on the settlement of international disputes over that most essential of natural resources water. They explored a range of questions: Which settlement mechanisms are most promising in the field of transboundary freshwater disputes? Is adjudication a suitable method of apportioning water rights which are vital not only to human life, but to the agriculture and industry of every nation on the planet? Given the need for "win-win" solutions to most water disputes, are negotiation and regional cooperation the only realistic and viable methods for settling them? What is the potential role of conciliation, mediation, good offices and other ad hoc mechanisms? This volume also contains the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, a multilateral framework treaty dealing with transboundary freshwater, which provides a variety of tools (such as the submission of disputes to fact-finding commissions) for the peaceful resolution of water disputes.

Conflict on the Rio Grande

Conflict on the Rio Grande PDF Author: Douglas R. Littlefield
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 0806185910
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
The history of the Rio Grande since the late nineteenth century reflects the evolution of water-resource management in the West. It was here that the earliest interstate and international water-allocation problems pitted irrigators in southern New Mexico against farmers downstream in El Paso and Juarez, with the voluntary resolution of that conflict setting important precedents for national and international water law. In this first scholarly treatment of the politics of water law along the Rio Grande, Douglas R. Littlefield describes those early interstate and international water- apportionment conflicts and explains how they relate to the development of western water law and policy and to international relations with Mexico. Littlefield embraces environmental, legal, and social history to offer clear analyses of appropriation and riparian water rights doctrines, along with lucid accounts of court cases and laws. Examining events that led up to the 1904 settlement among U.S. and Mexican communities and the formation of the Rio Grande Compact in 1938, Littlefield describes how communities grappled over water issues as much with one another as with governmental authorities. Conflict on the Rio Grande reveals the transformation of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century law, traces changing attitudes about the role of government, and examines the ways these changes affected the use and eventual protection of natural resources. Rio Grande water policy, Littlefield shows, represents federalism at work—and shows the West, in one locale at least, coming to grips with its unique problems through negotiation and compromise.

Transboundary Water Disputes

Transboundary Water Disputes PDF Author: Itzchak E. Kornfeld
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107186609
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
A thorough analysis of how effectively international courts and tribunals adjudicate transboundary water disputes, using detailed case studies.

Transboundary Water Disputes

Transboundary Water Disputes PDF Author: Itzchak E. Kornfeld
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316946967
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
One of the most challenging aspects of climate change has been the increased pressure on water resources limited by droughts and new rain patterns, which has been exacerbated by rapid modernization. Due to these realities, disputes across national borders over use and access to water have now become more commonplace. This study analyzes the history and adjudication of transboundary water disputes in five international courts and tribunals, two US Supreme Court cases, and boundary water disputes between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico. Explaining the circumstances and outcomes of these cases, Kornfeld asks how effective the courts and tribunals have been in adjudicating them. What kind of remedies have they fashioned and how have they dealt with polycentric and sovereignty issues? This timely work examines the doctrine of equitable allocation of transboundary water resources and how this norm can be incorporated into international law.