On April 28, 2025, the U.S. government announced a major diplomatic development as the Government of Mexico agreed to begin immediate deliveries of water owed under the 1944 Water Treaty. The treaty, which governs the sharing of water from the Rio Grande and Colorado River between the U.S. and Mexico, requires Mexico to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. over a five-year cycle. With only months left in the current cycle, Mexico had delivered just 595,000 acre-feet—well below the required amount.
In response to the mounting shortfall, the Trump Administration—led by Secretary of State Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Commerce Marco Rubio—escalated diplomatic efforts, including potential tariffs and trade consequences, to compel compliance. The resulting agreement includes the immediate transfer of 56,750 acre-feet from Mexico’s Amistad and Falcon reservoirs and commitments to increase tributary flow allocations and potential deliveries of an additional 420,000 acre-feet by October 2025.
Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), who has championed water equity for her region, credited the administration’s efforts and emphasized the significance for her district’s agriculture sector. “This is a win for South Texas communities,” she said in a statement. “After years of inaction, we finally have a President and an Administration that has shown strength and delivered.”
De La Cruz has introduced bipartisan legislation and led congressional letters urging accountability from Mexico. The water shortfall had jeopardized crop planning across the Rio Grande Valley, where citrus, sugarcane, and vegetable producers rely on consistent irrigation from the binational river system.
This water delivery agreement offers short-term relief, but systemic challenges remain. The Rio Grande Basin is under increasing hydrological stress from climate variability, over-allocation, and aging infrastructure. As of April 2025, Texas had experienced one of its driest early spring seasons in over a decade, amplifying the urgency of water access.
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), more than 80% of irrigation districts in the lower Rio Grande Valley were operating under water rationing due to the ongoing deficit. Local water managers have welcomed the news but warned that much of the owed water is already lost to evaporation and seepage from delayed delivery.
While the recent breakthrough restores some trust in the treaty process, several U.S. stakeholders—including the Texas Farm Bureau and binational water organizations—are calling for modernized enforcement mechanisms and resilience planning.
“This isn’t just about diplomatic wins,” said an official with the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). “The underlying issue is water reliability in a region facing deepening climate pressures and growing demand. We need systemic upgrades, not just stopgap diplomacy.”
As the water transfer process begins, attention will now shift to implementation and monitoring. With the next treaty cycle approaching, the U.S. and Mexico may face renewed pressure to revise not just deliveries, but the operational and governance frameworks that have failed to keep pace with 21st-century hydrological realities.
