US, Mexico strike water-sharing deal after Trump threatens tariffs

The US Department of Agriculture announced late on December 12 that the United States and Mexico have reached an agreement on water sharing, following Mexico’s failure to meet its obligations under a longstanding treaty, a situation that had prompted President Donald Trump to threaten trade retaliation.

According to foreign media, in a statement, the department said that “the United States and Mexico reached an agreement today to meet current water obligations to American farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover the water deficit owed to Texas under the 1944 treaty.” 

The agreement applies both to the current cycle and to the shortfall carried over from the previous cycle. The two countries are continuing talks with the aim of finalising the plan by the end of January.

Earlier this week, Trump accused Mexico of breaching the 1944 water-sharing treaty, under which the United States is required to supply 1.85 billion cubic metres of water annually from the Colorado River, while Mexico must deliver 432 million cubic metres from the Rio Bravo, known in the US as the Rio Grande. Washington says Mexico is significantly behind on its commitments, having accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic metres over the past five years. Trump said the violation was “severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas.”

According to the Department of Agriculture, Mexico has agreed to begin supplying 250 million cubic metres of water starting next week and to work toward eliminating the accumulated shortfall.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico has delivered more water over the past year than during the previous four years combined. She described the agreement as “a step in the right direction,” but stressed that Trump has been clear that if Mexico continues to fail to meet its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on all Mexican imports.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was optimistic about reaching an agreement with Trump. She stated that Mexico has a firm intention to provide the volume of water owed for previous years in accordance with the treaty and to ensure Mexico’s own water supply. At the same time, she noted that because of pipeline capacity constraints, it would not be possible to deliver the full required volume in a very short period.

Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that an exceptional drought in 2022 and 2023 had prevented the country from fulfilling its treaty obligations.

By Tamilla Hasanova