US-Mexico deal cuts Mexico’s Colorado River allocation by 17% for two years
The US and Mexico have signed a new agreement to reduce Mexico's allocation of Colorado River water by 17% through 2028. This deal is intended to address severe water depletion in the river system through cross-border cooperation.
Why it matters
The agreement serves as a critical model for international water management and climate-driven resource allocation in drought-prone regions.
About 40 million people depend on the Colorado River system across the United States and Mexico. From drinking water to municipal needs and even agricultural irrigation, both countries depend on the river and have shared and formally managed its water under a binational agreement for over 80 years. They signed the 1944 Water Treaty, where US guaranteed Mexico an annual delivery of 1.5 million acre-feet of water under normal conditions.But recently, water officials from US and Mexico signed a new agreement for sharing the Colorado River where Mexico agreed to take less water from the river under a new deal. Expert onlookers are heralding the deal as a success and a rare example of cross-border collaboration.
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