While a trickle of information was coming out on the recently announced water deliveries from Mexico to Texas, the U.S. and Mexico finalized another water-related agreement dealing with the 1944 Treaty.
On Dec. 15, the International Boundary and Water Commission, the agency responsible for applying and overseeing the boundary and water treaties between the U.S. and Mexico, announced that both governments had signed Minute 333. The agreement seeks to address the long-running issue of Mexican sewage reaching San Diego via the Tijuana River. More on that below, but first: What is a Minute when it comes to the 1944 Treaty?
Minutes are basically amendments to, or proposals of action within, the 1944 Treaty. They are also something that make the treaty “visionary” and “one of its kind in the world,” according to Rosario Sanchez, Texas A&M AgriLife Research senior research scientist at the Texas Water Resources Institute and director of the Permanent Forum for Binational Waters.
“The built in Minutes process is basically the adaptation of the treaty over the years,” she explained earlier this year. “That’s the way the treaty has evolved, and it’s pretty unique for that.”
Keeping up with the water times
So far, the treaty has been updated or amended 333 times with the signing of this most recent Minute, and it is likely there will be more soon.
While fielding press questions about the water delivery shortfall to Texas during her Dec. 10 morning address, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, while whole treaty might need to be renegotiated in the near future, the Minute system could prevent such a massive overhaul.
“According to all the experts, the 1944 Treaty is very favorable for Mexico,” she said. “Entering into a renegotiation process of the entire treaty might not be necessary. What does need to be done are additional agreements or Minutes, depending on the amount of water available.”
“More than renegotiating the 1944 Treaty, we need to be in constant dialogue with the United States government to address the needs of both countries, based on the rainfall cycle and how much water is actually available.”
So, what is Minute 333?
The signing of Minute 333 is not part of that dialogue as far as Texas water deliveries are concerned, but it is still part of the conversation between the U.S. and Mexico on shared water issues,” Sheinbaum added. “In this case, the Tiajuana River.
For several decades, raw sewage from Mexico has been carried by the Tiajuana River to Pacific Ocean beaches, including in San Diego. Minute 333 seeks to address this issue through a variety of means, including:
- Conducting feasibility studies on adding to, expanding or repairing existing Mexican wastewater treatment facilities
- Completing the building of a the new Tecolote-La Gloria Wastewater Treatment Plant by Dec. 2028
- Creating new sediment management systems and finding appropriate cost-share opportunities for existing sediment and trash management projects
- Creating a new account at the North American Development Bank to provide for Mexico’s ongoing operations and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure
“Thanks to the leadership of Presidents Trump and Sheinbaum, I am proud to be signing Minute 333 today,” said Chad McIntosh, U.S. Commissioner of IBWC in the group’s announcement of the agreement.
McIntosh’s Mexican counterpart, Adriana Reséndez, described the new minute as a continuation of Mexico’s commitment to “resolving the border sanitation problem at San Diego-Tijuana, pursuant to the provisions of the 1944 Water Treaty and to benefit the environment and the health of residents on both sides of the border.”
