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.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
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. |