Governor Abbott Directs TCEQ To Accept Water Offer For Rio Grande Valley

November 20, 2024 – Austin, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott today directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to accept an offer of San Juan River water from Mexico under the 1944 Water Treaty and provide much-needed water to communities in the Rio Grande Valley.

“Water is essential for Texans along the Rio Grande Valley to grow crops and support local communities and businesses,” said Governor Abbott. “Mexico’s blatant abuse and disregard of water obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty must not be allowed to continue. Today, I directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to accept a San Juan River water offer from Mexico that will supply our farmers and businesses in the Rio Grande Valley with much-needed water.”

Mexico’s offer of 120,000 acre-feet from the San Juan River is a mere drop in the bucket relative to the 1.75 million acre-feet Mexico is required to deliver to Texas each five-year Treaty cycle. Because our farmers and cities can wait no longer, Texas accepts the offer, pending TCEQ’s ultimate approval of the operational procedures.

While the International Boundary and Water Commission apparently takes the position that water from the San Juan River may be credited against Mexico’s five-year Treaty commitments, Texas stands firm in its position—consistent with the text of the Treaty—that those commitments may be satisfied only with water from the six named tributaries. 

The 1944 Water Treaty between the United States and Mexico obligates both countries to share water resources from the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers. Mexico’s deficit under the 1944 Water Treaty has never been greater. Barring action by Mexico, in October 2025, Texans will be facing a projected deficit of 1.3-million acre-feet of water.