International Boundary and Water Commission (Harlow, Spener)
Transcript of International Boundary and Water Commission (Harlow, Spener)
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International Boundary and Water Commission
United States and Mexico
Presentation to USGS Study TourApril 18, 2007El Paso, TX
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER
Land Boundary – 674 miles Colorado River – 24 miles Rio Grande – 1,254 miles Over 12 million residents
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Tijuana River Basin
Colorado River Basin
Rio Grande Basin
INTERNATIONAL RIVER BASINS
PacificOcean Gulf of
Mexico
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MISSION OF THE COMMISSION
The International Boundary and Water Commission is responsible for applying the boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico and settling differences that arise in their application.
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STRUCTURE PER 1944 TREATY
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION
(IBWC)
MEXICAN
SECTION
•Mexican Commissioner
•Secretary
•Two Principal
Engineers
•Legal Adviser
US
SECTION
•US Commissioner
•Secretary
•Two Principal
Engineers
•Legal Adviser
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I B W C O F F I C E S O N T H E B O R D E R
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IBWC STRUCTURE
Each Commissioner is appointed by his respective president
When the two Sections meet as a Commission, they have the status of an International Organization
Each Section employs its own staff IBWC staff operate projects, including joint
operation of dams
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IBWC STRUCTURE
Decisions of the Commission shall be recorded in the form of Minutes
Minutes are subject to approval by the Governments (State, SRE) and are binding
131 Minutes entered into since treaty ratification
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IBWC STRUCTURE
Joint Reports or Joint Memoranda of the Principal Engineers include technical recommendations to the Commissioners
Commissioners, Principal Engineers, Secretaries, and Legal Advisers are diplomatic officers
Significant day-to-day contact between the two Sections
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CONVENTION OF 1906
Distribution between Mexico and the U.S. of the waters of the Rio Grande in the El Paso-Juarez region
U.S. to deliver 60,000 acre-feet per year Proportional reduction in deliveries in case
of extraordinary drought Water stored in Elephant Butte Dam, NM
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American Dam (El Paso-Juarez)
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OTHER BOUNDARY TREATIES
Convention of 1933/Rio Grande Rectification Project – Stabilize the international boundary in the El Paso-Juarez Valley
Chamizal Convention (1963) – Relocate the Rio Grande in a new channel in El Paso-Juarez
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PROYECTO DE RECTIFICACION EN EL VALLE DE JUAREZPROYECTO DE RECTIFICACION EN EL VALLE DE JUAREZ
PROYECTO DE RECTIFICACION EN EL CHAMIZAL
RIO GRANDE RECTIFICATION PROJECT IN THE EL PASO-JUAREZ VALLEY
RIVER BED AND RECTIFIED CHANNEL
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OTHER BOUNDARY TREATIES
Treaty of 1970 – Maintain the Rio Grande and Colorado River as the international boundaryBoundary is middle of the channel of greatest
average widthStructures crossing the rivers may not deflect
or obstruct river flows
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1944 WATER TREATY
Established current structure of the Commission.
Expanded Commission role in boundary water issues.
Provided general authority to conduct studies and investigations, construct dams, address sanitation problems.
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1944 WATER TREATYColorado River
U.S. to deliver to Mexico a volume of 1.5 million acre-feet per year
When there are surplus waters, U.S. to deliver to Mexico a total volume of up to 1.7 million acre-feet per year
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M O R E L O S D A M
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1944 WATER TREATY(Rio Grande, Ft. Quitman to the Gulf)
Mexico to deliver minimum annual average of 350,000 acre-feet to the United States Water delivered to the Rio Grande from six Mexican
tributaries U.S. receives 1/3 of the flow arriving in the Rio
Grande from the six Mexican tributaries
Each county allotted 50% of flows from the unmeasured tributaries
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CURRENT PROJECTS
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UPPER RIO GRANDE PROJECTS Canalization Project – USIBWC water delivery and
flood control project located in Southern New Mexico and West Texas
American Dam – Diverts Rio Grande water into U.S. irrigation canal at El Paso
International Dam – Diverts Rio Grande water into Mexican irrigation canal/Acequia Madre at Cd. Juarez
Canalization Project, El Paso
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UPPER RIO GRANDE PROJECTS
Rectification Project – Stabilizes the boundary and provides flood control in the El Paso-Juarez Valley
Chamizal Project – Stabilizes the international boundary thru El Paso-Cd. Juarez by means of a concrete channel Chamizal Project maintenance
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RIO GRANDE INTERNATIONAL STORAGE RESERVOIRS
Amistad DamTotal Capacity, including flood storage –
6025 million cubic meters
Falcon DamTotal Capacity, including flood storage - 3897
million cubic meters
Both generate hydroelectric power
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AMISTAD DAM
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WATER ACCOUNTING
More than 50 gaging stations in the Rio Grande basin in the United States and Mexico
11 gaging stations on the Colorado River Data reviewed weekly by the U.S. and Mexican
Sections Determination of the national ownership of
waters of the Rio Grande Publication of flow data, rainfall, reservoir
storage, evaporation, and water quality data in annual water bulletins
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WATER ACCOUNTING
Rio Grande gaging station at Presidio-Ojinaga
Telemetry system at North Floodway, Lower Rio Grande
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LOWER RIO GRANDEFLOOD CONTROL PROJECT 340 miles of levee Anzalduas Diversion Dam Retamal Diversion Dam Floodways Flood protection for hundreds of
thousands of people in the U.S. and Mexico
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PRESA DERIVADORA ANZALDUAS
1966 Flood at
Brownsville-Matamoros
Anzalduas Diversion Dam
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INTERNATIONAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS
San Diego, CaliforniaTreats wastewater from Tijuana, BC
Nogales, AZTreats wastewater from both countries
Nuevo Laredo, TamaulipasTreats wastewater from Nuevo Laredo,
Tamps.
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SOUTH BAY INTERNATIONAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
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WATER QUALITY MONITORING
3 Rio Grande binational toxic substances studies
Binational toxic substances study of the New and Colorado Rivers
Texas Clean Rivers Program for the Rio Grande
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GROUNDWATER
General authority to conduct groundwater studies granted by Congress in 1935
General authority under Article 24 of the 1944 Water Treaty
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GROUNDWATER Minute 242 (1973)
To address salinity of Colorado River deliveries to Mexico
Pending the conclusion of a comprehensive agreement on groundwater in the border areas, each country shall limit pumping of groundwaters within its territory within 8 km of the Arizona-Sonora boundary
Consultation prior to undertaking substantial modification or new development of surface or ground water resources that might adversely affect the other country
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GROUNDWATER Hueco Bolson – El Paso-Juarez Aquifer
Binational Technical Group establishedReport published in 1998Binational Ground-Water Data Base validated
by both governments Upper Santa Cruz River Transboundary
Aquifer (AZ-Son.)Data exchanged (1997-1998)
Nogales Wash water qualityBinational Nogales Wash United States /
Mexico Groundwater Monitoring Program – Final Report (2001)
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GROUNDWATER
Mexican ManagementMostly centralized in the National Water
Commission, a federal agency U.S. Management
State responsibilityDecentralized in the four U.S. border states
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TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFER ASSESSMENT BILL Passed by U.S. Congress in 2006 (Public
Law 109-448) Purpose is to characterize, map, and
model groundwater resources in U.S.-Mexico border region
Activities to encompass field studies, development of GIS database, flow models, data exchange
Identifies priority aquifers for assessment based on technical and political criteria
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TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFER ASSESSMENT BILL
Lead federal agency is U.S. Geological Survey
Requires consultation with U.S. border states and authorizes grants to state water resource research institutes
Authorizes $50 million over ten years, including some funding to Mexico
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International Boundary and Water Commission
United States and Mexico
U.S. Section www.ibwc.state.gov (915) 832-4100