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Show 7* Rio Grande above Fcrt Quitman - United States and Mexico - May 21, 1906 This is a case of a river entirely within the territory of one State which at a certain point becomes a boundary stream. The agreement provides for the equitable distribution of the waters of the river from the point where it be- comes an international boundary downstream for a river distance of about 150 milesr In 1906, by a convention, the United States Government agreed to deliver to Mexico for use in the Juarez Valley, extending from El Paso to Fort Quitman, 60,C00 acre-feet of water per year, which it was estimated would be sufficient to irrigate all of the lands that previously had been irrigated by Mexico in that valley and the Mexican Government waived any and all claims to the mters of the Rio Grande for any purpose whatever above Fort Quitman* The water thus supplied for use in Mexico originates in the United States and is controlled by the Elephant Butte Dam, which was built and is maintained and operated entirely at- the expense of the United States. The Mexicans of the Juarez Valley are thus protected in benefits of Rio Grande water to the full extent to which these were enjoyed before upstream diversions and control works interfered with the flow of the river past their lands. But ths use of Rio Grande waters in Mexico above Fort Quitman is definitely limited to 60,000 acre- feot per year, there being no provision by which increased diversions may be made 3 , The material portions of the treaty are as follows; "ARTICLE I "After the completion of the proposed storage dam near Engle, Kew Mexico,, and the distributing system auxiliary thereto, and as soon as water shall be available in said system for the purpose^ the United States shall deliver to Mexico a total of 60,000 acre-feet of water annually, in the bed of the Rio Grande at the point where the head works of the Acequia Madre, known as the Old Mexican Canal, now exist above the city of Juarez, Mexico * ARTICLE II nThe delivery of the said amount of water shall be assured by the United States and shall be distributed through the year in the same pro- portions as the water supply proposed to be fur- nished from the said irrigation system to lands in the United States in the vicinity of El Paso, Texas;. according to the following schedule, as nearly as may be. possible: (Here follows the schedule) -19-. |