A minute = 60 seconds.
But in the Colorado River world, a Minute (with a capital M) = a lot more than that!
The 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty (1944 Treaty) created a unique concept in the world of treaties, called Minutes. This is the only Treaty with Minutes, making it a living document that can adapt to the needs of the two countries.
A Minute is a binding international agreement between the United States and Mexico, which share the Colorado River. Minutes are not amendments – they define how things agreed to in the Treaty will be implemented. Once approved by both governments, the Minutes are binding obligations of the U.S. and Mexican governments.
This requires near-constant binational collaboration, regardless of what is going on in the political or environmental climate. Due to the strength of our relationships, our two countries have a long history of cooperation related to the Colorado River.
The 1944 Treaty:
- Apportioned 1.5 million acre-feet (MAF) per year of Colorado River water to Mexico during normal years
- Specified that Mexico would share proportionately in times of surplus and in reductions of consumptive use due to “extraordinary drought”
- Established the U.S. and Mexican sections of the binational International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to implement the Treaty
- Specified that IBWC decisions be recorded in the form of Minutes
Several Minutes related to Colorado River operations have been entered under the 1944 Treaty, including:
Minute 242 (1973)
- Addressed the salinity of water delivered to Mexico
Minute 318 (2010)
- Established an accounting protocol for deferred water in lieu of physical delivery to Mexico
Minute 319 (2012)
- Established criteria to share in water surpluses and shortages
- Established proactive basin operations through the sharing of benefits of water
- Generates water for the environment of the Colorado River delta and for system water through conservation projects
- Outlined potential opportunities for future cooperation between the United States and Mexico on topics such as environmental restoration, water conservation, system operations, and new water sources projects, and facilitated investment in water conservation projects by state agencies
- Established the expectation that the Commission will conclude another agreement in the future to extend or replace the substantive provisions of Minute 319
Minute 323 (2017)
- Expanded collaboration and sharing of shortage risks and surplus opportunities
- Provided for U.S. investment in water infrastructure and environmental projects in Mexico
- Established a work group to investigate binational desalination in the Sea of Cortez, as well as the binational water scarcity contingency plan
Minute 330 (2024)
- Established that Mexico will undertake efforts to conserve 400,000 acre-feet of water by Dec. 31, 2026, in complement with the Lower Basin States’ proposal to conserve 3 million acre-feet between 2023 and 2026
- The U.S. government committed $65 million to compensate 250,000 acre-feet of this conservation as water for the Colorado River system
- Established a work group to identify salinity solutions post-2026
We look forward to future collaboration with Mexico as we head into a hotter and drier future that includes the risks of a smaller Colorado River and the opportunities of system storage.
