U.S. & Mexico Revise Colorado River Compact To Allow Storage In Lake Mead
SAN DIEGO — The United States and Mexico are rewriting rules on how to share water from the Colorado River, capping a five-year effort to form a united front against future drought in their western states.
The far-reaching agreement to be signed Tuesday gives Mexico rights to put some of its river water in Lake Mead —which stretches across Nevada and Arizona — giving it badly needed storage capacity. Mexico will forfeit some of its share of the river during shortages, bringing itself in line with western U.S. states that already have agreed how much they will surrender in years when waters recede. Water agencies in California, Arizona and Nevada also will buy water from Mexico, which will use some of the money to upgrade its infrastructure.
The agreement, coming in the final days of the administration of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, is a major amendment to a 1944 treaty that is considered sacred by many south of the border. The treaty grants Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet of river water of water each year — enough to supply about 3 million homes — making it the lifeblood of Tijuana and other cities in northwest Mexico.
Mexico will surrender some of its allotment when the water level in Lake Mead drops to 1,075 feet and reap some of the surplus when it rises to 1,145 feet, according to a summary of the agreement prepared by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which will buy some of Mexico’s water.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/us-mexico-rewrite-rules-on-sharing-colorado-river-water-in-united-front-against-drought/2012/11/20/a0f18584-32e8-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html
