Mexico to release water as Valley farmers demand accountability

Valley farmers demand accountability as Mexico agrees to release a portion of water it owes the U.S.

Amistad Dam, one of the two largest binational reservoirs on the Rio Grande, is central to how water owed under the 1944 treaty is stored, released, and accounted for between the United States and Mexico. Courtesy of | IBWC

After months of mounting political pressure and warnings from South Texas farmers, Mexico said it will begin releasing water from the Rio Grande this week to pay a portion of the water debt it owes the U.S.

The move prompted cautious optimism — and renewed demands for accountability — from agricultural leaders across the Rio Grande Valley, who warned that Mexico’s continued noncompliance threatens more than 1 million residents and 500,000 acres of irrigated farmland in South Texas.

On Friday, Mexico agreed to release about 202,000 acre-feet of water, according to Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. That represents roughly one-quarter of what it owes the U.S. under a 1944 treaty.

Valley agricultural leaders said the renewed talks were driven in part by recent statements from President Donald Trump, who threatened a 5% tariff against Mexico if water deliveries do not begin promptly.