Bill Text: TX HCR135 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging the International Boundary and Water Commission to follow the terms of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico water treaty.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-05 - Referred to Natural Resources [HCR135 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR135-Introduced.html
| 85R26950 RMA-D | ||
| By: Lucio III | H.C.R. No. 135 | |
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| WHEREAS, The United States and Mexico entered into a treaty | ||
| regarding the utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana | ||
| Rivers and of the Rio Grande on February 3, 1944; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Article 4 of the treaty allots to Mexico two-thirds | ||
| of the flow into the main channel of the Rio Grande from the | ||
| Upstream Mexican Tributaries, which consist of the Conchos, San | ||
| Diego, San Rodrigo, Escondido, and Salado Rivers and Las Vacas | ||
| Arroyo, with one-third allotted to the United States; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Article 4(B)(c) of the treaty provides that the | ||
| one-third flow from the Upstream Mexican Tributaries to the United | ||
| States shall not be less than 350,000 acre-feet per year on an | ||
| annual average basis over a five-year period; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Flows from the Upstream Mexican Tributaries enter | ||
| the Rio Grande below Fort Quitman and above or into the Amistad and | ||
| Falcon Reservoirs; those flows not only benefit downstream water | ||
| users in Texas but also provide needed instream flows for | ||
| recreation and area ecosystems; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 2015, the International Boundary and Water | ||
| Commission and Texas representatives arranged for the commission to | ||
| accept deliveries from the Rio San Juan, a Mexican tributary below | ||
| the Falcon Reservoir, which would be credited against delivery | ||
| obligations from the Upstream Mexican Tributaries, to the extent | ||
| that those waters could be diverted and utilized by Texas water | ||
| users; and | ||
| WHEREAS, By crediting deliveries from the Rio San Juan or | ||
| other downstream Mexican tributaries, the delivery obligations for | ||
| the Upstream Mexican Tributaries would be reduced by a three-to-one | ||
| ratio, since with each acre-foot credited, the stretch of the Rio | ||
| Grande between Fort Quitman and the Falcon Reservoir is deprived of | ||
| a total of three acre-feet of needed instream flows; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Crediting deliveries from the Rio San Juan or other | ||
| downstream Mexican tributaries against delivery obligations of the | ||
| Upstream Mexican Tributaries directly contravenes the provisions | ||
| set forth in the 1944 U.S.-Mexico water treaty; now, therefore, be | ||
| it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby urge the International Boundary and Water Commission to | ||
| follow the express terms of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico water treaty in | ||
| determining which flows are allowed to be credited against delivery | ||
| obligations for the Upstream Mexican Tributaries; and, be it | ||
| further | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby express its | ||
| opposition to the International Boundary and Water Commission | ||
| providing further credits to Mexico for water deliveries from the | ||
| Rio San Juan or other downstream Mexican tributaries against | ||
| Mexico's delivery obligations from the Upstream Mexican | ||
| Tributaries; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official | ||
| copies of this resolution to the Texas governor, the Texas Water | ||
| Development Board, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, | ||
| and the International Boundary and Water Commission. | ||
