Minute 323: Federal Officials Release Summary of New Agreement with Mexico Regarding the 1944 Colorado River Treaty

Somach Simmons Dunn (00864836xBA9D6)

Environmental Law & Policy Alerts

August 30, 2017

Minute 323: Federal Officials Release Summary of New Agreement with Mexico Regarding the 1944 Colorado River Treaty

The United States and Mexico are very close to entering a formal decision that will continue the two nations’ cooperative efforts to manage water resources under the “United States-Mexico Treaty on Utilization of Water of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande” (1944 Treaty). The 1944 Treaty renamed and updated the International Boundary and Water Commission, which is a joint Mexican and United States diplomatic commission, charged with applying the 1944 Treaty, exercise of rights and obligations under the 1944 Treaty for both countries, and the settlement of any disputes regarding water from the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande, which forms the border between Mexico and the United States. The Commission uses “minutes” to describe operational aspects associated with the 1944 Treaty’s implementation and to record the Commission’s decisions. The proposed agreement is known as Minute 323, which has been in development since 2015. It is the successor to Minute 319, which will expire in December 2017. The official language of Minute 323 has not been released yet, but federal officials released a summary of its provisions on July 21, 2017. Minute 323, updates and agrees to new provisions that govern water from the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande, extends a number of the provisions of Minute 319, and adds a number of conservation and planning measures that are intended to improve cooperation and management of the three rivers between both countries. … Read More

Written by Kristian C. Corby