Mexico and the US agree to reduce Colorado River water allocations
Mexico and the United States have agreed to reduce the volumes of water allocated from the Colorado River amid a prolonged drought and low reservoir levels in its basin. The International Boundary and Water Commission finalized the Minute 334 agreement on September 2, 2026, in El Paso, United States. The arrangement settles a long-running dispute between the countries over water allocation for at least the next two years.
Allocation cuts
The agreement provides for an annual reduction of Mexico’s standard water allocation by 250,000 acre-feet, or 16.7%. This is equivalent to approximately one-sixth of its annual volume set by the 1944 treaty — about 1.85 billion cubic meters.
The reduction is equivalent to water-use restrictions imposed on the US states of the lower Colorado River basin — Arizona, California, and Nevada, Mexico News Daily reports. The United States will also receive less water as part of joint measures to mitigate the effects of the drought.
The agreement was signed by Adriana Reséndez, commissioner of the Mexican section of the commission, and her US counterpart Chad McIntosh, with the participation of Manuel Morales, secretary of the Mexican section. The US Department of the Interior confirmed that the document was approved by both countries’ governments.
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Salinity and the Colorado Delta
Minute 334 also establishes a strategy for managing the salinity of Colorado River water delivered to Mexico. If conditions worsen, the parties may hold consultations in 2028 on further reductions.
Reséndez emphasized the proportionality of the restrictions for the two countries. After the previous five-year cycle of the 1944 treaty ended on October 24 of the previous year, Mexico still had to deliver 865,136 acre-feet of water to the United States. The treaty’s terms give Mexico five years to make up this volume.
The countries also agreed to cooperate in managing the Colorado Delta in Mexico. According to the source, after decades of dam construction and upstream water diversions, it has largely transformed from extensive wetlands into a mostly dry saline plain.
