Rio Grande International Water Accounting - Fort Quitman, Texas

• Issue
• Background
• Letters to and from the IBWC in 2013
• Previous Letters to the IBWC
• Letters to the U.S. State Department in 2013
• Rio Grande Water Allocation Publications
• Water Treaties and Agreements Governing the Rio Grande

Issue

Many government entities and water right holders firmly believe, and the evidence points to the fact that the waters of the Rio Grande below El Paso are allocated entirely to the United States under the 1906 Convention with Mexico. The IBWC has historically allocated 50 percent of this water to Mexico when it reaches Fort Quitman, Texas. Fort Quitman is where the 1944 Treaty on the Rio Grande begins. We believe this water belongs entirely to the United States. Allocating the water to Mexico deprives our Texas users of their water supplies.

Background

The United States and Mexico have a long history of cooperation and conflict over the equitable distribution of water rights from the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo). The International Boundary and Water Commission manages the distribution of water from the river to each of the countries. Disagreements are particularly acute during times of drought, which the area has been experiencing since the fall of 2010. In the spring of 2012, a number of governmental and stakeholder groups reinitiated protests of the IBWC's accounting of waters passing the stream flow gauge at Fort Quitman, Texas.

Letters to and from the IBWC in 2013

• August 30, 2013 – Response Letter from IBWC to Commissioner Rubinstein
• August 29, 2013 – Letter from Commissioner Rubinstein to IBWC
• August 6, 2013 – Response Letter from IBWC to Commissioner Rubinstein
• June 20, 2013 - Response Letter From IBWC to Commissioner Rubinstein
• June 17, 2013 - Response Letter From Commissioner Rubinstein to IBWC on Water Allocation
• June 12, 2013 - Letters from IBWC on Water Allocation
• June 7, 2013 - Letter Responding to IBWC Commissioner Edward Drusina
• May 15, 2013 – Letter from IBWC Commissioner Edward Drusina
• May 14, 2013 – Letter from TCEQ Commissioner Carlos Rubinstein

Previous Letters to the IBWC

• October 15, 2012 — Letter from IBWC
• June 27, 2012 – Response from the IBWC
• June 21, 2012 – Letter from the Texas Water Development Board
• June 1, 2012 – Letter from Rio Grande Regional Water Authority
• June 1, 2012 – Letter from Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group
• May 29, 2012 – Letter from Rio Grande Watermaster Advisory Committee
• May 28, 2012 – Letter from Lower Rio Grande Valley District Managers Association
• May 18, 2012 – Letter from TCEQ Commissioner Carlos Rubinstein
• June 30, 2008 – Letter from TCEQ Commissioner Buddy Garcia

Related Letters

• August 26, 2014 letter from TWDB and TCEQ chairs to Rep. Eddie Lucio, III
• August 1, 2014 letter from Rep. Eddie Lucio, III to TWDB and TCEQ chairs
• May 22, 2013 Letter from Commissioner Rubinstein to U.S. State Department

Rio Grande Water Allocation Publications

• 2011 - Overview of the Rio Grande in Texas and Below Fort Quitman
• 2005 - Bi-national Rio Grande Summit – Legal and Institutional Aspects of International Water Allocation in the Rio Grande

Water Treaties and Agreements Governing the Rio Grande

• 1944 - Treaty between the United States and Mexico Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande
• 1906 - Convention Between the United States and Mexico