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Topic: Mexico

Overview April 24, 2014

Mexico

The Mexican Water Treaty of 1944 committed the U.S. to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico on an annual basis, plus an additional 200,000 acre-feet under surplus conditions. The treaty is overseen by the International Boundary and Water Commission.

Colorado River water is delivered to Mexico at Morelos Dam, located 1.1 miles downstream from where the California-Baja California land boundary intersects the river. The river’s natural terminus is the Gulf of California in Mexico, but because of the dams and diversion facilities throughout the Colorado River Basin, natural flow rarely reaches the Gulf. Water diverted at Morelos Dam is primarily used to irrigate Mexicali Valley farmland, and also supplies the cities of Mexicali, Tecate and Tijuana.

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Aquafornia news July 2, 2025 Border Report

California lawmakers ask Trump to address sewage pollution from Mexico

Several California state assembly memebers are asking President Trump to declare a state of emergency as a way to quickly mitigate sewage pollution that for decades has been tainting the Tijuana River Valley just north of the border. On Tuesday morning, legislation known as AJR 16, received unanimous support in the Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. Assemblymember David Alvarez, one of the sponsors, says Trump needs to take action to address the “environmental injustice facing communities, which have endured beach closures, air and water contamination, and diminished economic activity.” … According to his office, more than 200 billion gallons of toxic wastewater have flowed into California from Mexico along the Tijuana River since 2018. AJR 16 also takes into account the New River that runs through the city of Calexico in the Imperial Valley. For years, this waterway has been polluted with industrial waste, urban runoff, chemicals and fertilizers that originated south of the border.

Other Tijuana River news:

  • Border Report: Trash boom stops 500 tons of Mexican trash at the border​
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 25, 2025 San Diego Union-Tribune

County to explore plan to monitor, mitigate Tijuana River sewage pollution

San Diego County leaders are committing the county to stepping up efforts to help residents bearing the brunt of the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to explore what it would take to administer a plan that calls for further monitoring and mitigation of cross-border pollution from Mexico and implementing health protections. The plan, proposed by Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and brought before the board by Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, consists of five key elements: study the health impacts of chronic exposure to the toxic sewer gas hydrogen sulfide; assess the full scope of crisis-linked economic losses; eliminate a hot spot along the Tijuana River to lessen aerosolization of the gas; and create a county sewage crisis chief position. It also suggests giving schools and child care centers air filtration that’s engineered to remove hydrogen sulfide from the air if the county can show that the infrastructure will effectively eliminate odors.

Related articles:

  • inewsource (San Diego): San Diego County may designate a ‘Sewage Crisis Chief’ to coordinate Tijuana River pollution response
  • Times of San Diego: ‘Stepping up’: Supervisors advance action plan for Tijuana River sewage crisis
  • NBC 7 (San Diego): San Diego County considers 5-point plan to address Tijuana River sewage crisis
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 23, 2025 Voice of San Diego

Sacramento report: These bills made the cut, so far

… The state Senate passed two bills by Sen. Steve Padilla aimed at protecting the polluted Tijuana River Valley. One would authorize using funds from the new East Otay Mesa toll road for the South Bay International Boundary and Water Commission sewage treatment facility, which filters sewage from Mexico and discharges the treated water to the Pacific Ocean. The other would prohibit a state agency from approving a new landfill, until the local agency that oversees waste facilities has held a public hearing on the project and certified that it won’t harm an environmentally burdened community. It’s aimed at the East Otay Mesa Recycling Collection Center and Landfill, which was passed by ballot measure 15 years ago. This is Padilla’s second stab at this issue. Last year he proposed a related bill that would have prohibited a regional water board from issuing a waste discharge permit for a new landfill in the Tijuana River Valley. That bill failed on the Assembly floor, but Padilla is trying again. 

Other Tijuana River news:

  • Eagle & Times (Coronado, Calif.): IBWC Citizen Forum update on wastewater treatment plant project
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 19, 2025 Engineering News-Record

PCL, Stantec outline $250M expansion of San Diego wastewater treatment plant

The design-build team of Stantec and PCL Construction detailed the planned $250-million expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego, Calif., a project that has recently been fast-tracked due to the ongoing transboundary raw sewage flows from Tijuana, Mexico. Michael Watson, senior vice president and major projects lead for water at Stantec and Jeff Newman, operations manager at PCL, said at a public meeting held by the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission June 12 that they had validated that 50 million gallons per day can be treated by the plant after the expansion and will soon put out early work packages. … New IBWC U.S. Commissioner Chad McIntosh told local officials and attendees at the forum that even after the expansion they would continue to press Mexico to halt the cross-boundary sewage and chemical flows into the Tijuana River which eventually flow into the Pacific Ocean near the South Bay community of Imperial Beach.

Other U.S.-Mexico water news:

  • SFGate: ‘Hard to fathom’: Sewage crisis at Calif. coastline can be seen from space
  • Mexico News Daily: From hospitals to water plants, big infrastructure projects promised in Baja California Sur
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 18, 2025 Border Report

Water battles between the US and Mexico persist

President Donald Trump recently addressed Mexico’s failure to pay the water it owes the U.S. under a decades-old treaty. Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico must send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande every five years, and the United States is to pay Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet of water annually via the Colorado River out West. Mexico, however, has fallen behind on its payments. … The water payments are just one of several water-related issues at which the U.S. and Mexico are at odds. In San Diego, raw sewage has been flowing in from Mexico for decades via the Tijuana River, which runs from the south to the north. When it rains, tons of debris and trash, in addition to millions of gallons of sewage-tainted water, make their way north of the border and, eventually, into the Pacific Ocean. The bacteria in the water has forced the closure of beaches in southern San Diego that have already been in place for years.

Other U.S.-Mexico water news:

  • FOX5/KUSI (San Diego): Water contact closure lifted in La Jolla after sewage spill
  • Times of San Diego: San Diego County reopens some beach areas in La Jolla, Coronado
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 17, 2025 KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Trump pushes ‘America First’ in Mexico water deal. Experts worry it may backfire

… Trump has found a perhaps obvious avenue to pursue his goal to ensure the United States is getting a fair shake on the world stage. But some experts fear bringing tariff threats and “America First” rhetoric into the world of water negotiations will backfire, and that the careful work of administering the 1944 water treaty could get damaged in the process. … The treaty is a complex document, but it requires the United States to deliver water from the Colorado River to Mexico, and Mexico to deliver water from the Rio Grande to the United States. … After Trump threatened tariffs in April, Mexico’s president did announce an additional water shipment to Texas from Mexico’s reservoirs on the Rio Grande. But experts say there just isn’t enough water available for Mexico to get back on track by October. … Many of northern Mexico’s reservoirs are low or empty, and in some places, a lack of rain means rivers run dry.

Other water treaty news:

  • The Packer: While Mexico promised more water under the 1944 treaty, U.S. growers say they need more water certainty, for Chihuahua to play by the rules, and treaty enforcement
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 16, 2025 Smart Water Magazine

NADBank to allocate $400 million to finance water projects in the US-Mexico border region

During the first semiannual meeting of the North American Development Bank (NADBank) in 2025, the Governments of the United States and Mexico, through the Board of Directors, agreed to invest up to US$400 million in priority water conservation and diversification infrastructure in response to prolonged drought conditions throughout the U.S.-Mexico border region. NADBank will welcome input from the public on the Water Resilience Fund (WRF) during a 30-day public comment period, after which the Board will consider its final approval. Through the WRF, NADBank will allocate up to US$100 million in retained earnings over the next five years for concessional financing, as well as make up to US$300 million available for low-interest loans from its established lending resources. NADBank may also supplement these instruments with market-rate financing to further expand the reach and impact of available resources.

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Aquafornia news June 11, 2025 JD Supra

Blog: Perspectives on water — the growing demand for projects in Latin America

Latin America is at a pivotal moment in its water infrastructure development. Historically hindered by limited public funding and rigid policies, investment in sanitation, wastewater treatment, and desalination is now gaining momentum due to population growth, climate pressures, and rising industrial demand. Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico are at the forefront of this shift, each driven by unique socio-economic needs. … Mexico faces severe water scarcity due to droughts, air pollution, and structural challenges, particularly in northern states like Chihuahua, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Baja California. Financial constraints have further hampered efforts to address the crisis. … In April 2025, the government also announced a US$1.5 billion investment for 37 water infrastructure projects, focusing on irrigation, hydro agriculture, and potable water improvements. Key projects include a desalination plant in Rosarito, Baja California, and aqueducts in Colima and Veracruz.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 10, 2025 E&E News by Politico

Tuesday Top of the Scroll: California sewage crisis bubbles up in key House race

A cross-border sewage crisis affecting Southern California could play a role in a prominent congressional race, where a Republican challenger has become a national figure on the issue. Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, has been sounding the alarm recently on Fox News and other conservative outlets about the untreated sewage that’s been flowing from the Tijuana River in Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, contaminating the water and sickening residents. At the same time, he’s seeking to unseat Rep. Mike Levin, accusing the Democratic incumbent of not doing enough to protect residents. … Desmond says Levin’s focus — including $635 million that Levin has gotten approved for projects like improving a major sewage plant on the Mexican side through the bipartisan infrastructure law, among other actions — lets Mexican officials off the hook.

Other Tijuana River news:

  • KQED (San Francisco): Tijuana River pollution reaches crisis point in San Diego County, scientists warn
  • Border Report: CDC back in California to study Tijuana River Valley contamination
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 4, 2025 San Diego Union-Tribune

Desmond votes against his own resolution on sewage crisis

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Wednesday that urges the federal government to pressure Mexico to end the Tijuana River sewage crisis. The resolution, brought forth by Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond, passed by a vote of 3-1. But it was Desmond who ultimately cast the lone “no” vote because the amended version officials approved doesn’t go far enough, he said. … Specifically, the resolution calls on Congress to pass legislation that would hold Mexico accountable for failing to prevent sewage from polluting communities in the county’s southwest region. Some measures suggested include federal authorization to divert or restrict the Tijuana River temporarily in south San Diego. It also urges curtailing the export of potable water to Tijuana or limiting cross-border activity at U.S. ports of entry during sewage-linked emergencies that the county declares.

Other Tijuana River news:

  • The Center Square: Research on Tijuana River wastewater continues​
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 3, 2025 Border Report

US beaches remain closed despite new sewage plant going online in Tijuana

After nearly eight months of delays, malfunctions and redesigns, the San Antonio de los Buenos Wastewater Treatment Plant partially came online recently and has begun treating raw sewage that comes from the city of Tijuana. The facility, built near the coast about 6 miles south of the border, is still not operating at full capacity. Mexican officials say they are still conducting tests and going through the certification process before the plant can be geared up to treat 18 million gallons of raw sewage per day — its maximum capacity. Despite going into partial service, communities north of the border, where much of that sewage ends up, have seen little to no relief. Beach closures in Imperial Beach and the city of Coronado to the north, remain in effect. In Imperial Beach, beaches have been off limits for more than three years.

Other Tijuana River sewage news:

  • Times of San Diego: Imperial Beach mayor calls for stronger, faster local action on Tijuana River pollution crisis
  • Times of San Diego: Sewage surge prompts water pollution advisory along Silver Strand
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news June 2, 2025 Coronado Times (Calif.)

With International Collector complete, Coronado’s beaches reopen — aside from Silver Strand

Coronado’s northern beaches are open again after the city’s entire shoreline closed over Memorial Day weekend as wastewater from the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis pushed bacteria into coastal waters. The reopenings came as Mexico completed work on its two-phase International Collector project. … Mexico completed the second and final phase of its International Collector project on May 21. During the two phases of the construction, excess sewage was pushed into the Tijuana River, causing beach closures in Coronado in April and in May. However, Mexico used temporary bypasses to prevent about 75 million gallons of untreated sewage from entering the river during phase two, the US International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) said. The International Collector is a pipeline that carries raw sewage from Tijuana to treatment plants, and it was aging and prone to leaks. Mexico has now relined the pipeline.

Other Tijuana River news:

  • NBC 7 (San Diego): How to take a self-guided tour of the ‘Toxic Tide’ in the Tijuana River Valley
  • Chemical and Engineering News: Coastal aerosols contain wastewater pollutants
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 30, 2025 Times of San Diego

Sen. Booker calls Tijuana River pollution ‘environmental justice crisis’

Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre once served as an environmental fellow in Sen. Cory Booker’s Washington office. She leveraged that contact Thursday, as the New Jersey Democrat and former presidential candidate visited her city to see the Tijuana River sewage pollution crisis up close and demand more federal action to address the issue. Booker called the situation “an environmental justice crisis” and said he will take “what I saw here back to Washington to help make sure this community’s fight for clean air and water is heard and answered.” … Booker’s visit comes the day after a UC San Diego report found dangerous chemical compounds are present not only in the water of the Tijuana River and off the coast of Imperial Beach, but are also aerosolized by ocean spray and make it into the air.

Related articles:

  • KGTV (San Diego): Sen. Cory Booker sees TJ Sewage Crisis for the first time
  • KUSI (San Diego): Sen. Cory Booker tours Tijuana River sewage crisis
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 28, 2025 Coronado Times (Calif.)

Tijuana sewage closes Coronado’s beaches again

Coronado’s shoreline closed over Memorial Day weekend as wastewater from the ongoing Tijuana sewage crisis pushed bacteria into coastal waters. … Agencies in both the US and Mexico are working to repair the failing infrastructure that causes the ongoing pollution. Mexico is currently in the second phase of repairing its International Collector, which carries Tijuana’s wastewater to treatment plants and is prone to leaks. It is unclear if the weekend’s closures were related to the project, although the US International Boundary and Water Commission said ahead of the project that excess sewage flow might arise from the project. During the project’s first phase, Mexico diverted excess sewage into the Tijuana River, which ultimately caused beach closures in Coronado. … In the US, the IBWC is working to repair its own infrastructure, the most notable of which is the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

Other Tijuana River sewage news:

  • Newsweek: California mayor issues warning over Mexican sewage flooding beaches
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 27, 2025 The New York Times

50 million gallons of sewage flow daily from Mexico into California beaches

… To the eye, Imperial Beach, Calif., is an idyllic beach town, a playground for tourists and Southern California residents alike at the southern border with Mexico. But lately, the view has been ruined by the sea breeze, which reeks of rotten eggs. The surfers who once prepared for big-wave competitions are gone. So are the tourists who built intricate sand castles and licked ice cream cones on the pier. Imperial Beach is now the center of one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters: Every day, 50 million gallons of untreated sewage, industrial chemicals and trash flow from Tijuana, Mexico, into southern San Diego County. The cross-national problem traces back at least a century. But it has significantly worsened in recent years as the population of Tijuana has exploded and sewage treatment plants in both countries have fallen into disrepair.

Other Tijuana River news:

  • NBC 7 (San Diego): Coronado shoreline closed again because of new sewage contamination
  • KGTV (San Diego): Sewage contamination leaks into Coronado beaches on Memorial Day
  • inewsource (San Diego): How toxic is the Tijuana River? San Diego high-school students are helping scientists find out.
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Publication March 4, 2024 Colorado River Basin Map

Layperson’s Guide to the Colorado River Basin
Updated 2024

Cover of Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Basin

Learn the history and challenges facing the West’s most dramatic and developed river. 

The Layperson’s Guide to the Colorado River Basin introduces the 1,450-mile river that sustains 40 million people and millions of acres of farmland spanning seven states and parts of northern Mexico.

The 28-page primer explains how the river’s water is shared and managed as the Southwest transitions to a hotter and drier climate.

  • Read more
Western Water March 25, 2022 California Water Bundle WESTERN WATER-New EPA Regional Administrator Tackles Water Needs with a Wealth of Experience and $1 Billion in Federal Funding By Douglas E. Beeman

New EPA Regional Administrator Tackles Water Needs with a Wealth of Experience and $1 Billion in Federal Funding
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Martha Guzman says surge of federal dollars offers 'greatest opportunity' to address longstanding water needs, including for tribes & disadvantaged communities in EPA Region 9

EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman.Martha Guzman recalls those awful days working on water and other issues as a deputy legislative secretary for then-Gov. Jerry Brown. California was mired in a recession and the state’s finances were deep in the red. Parks were cut, schools were cut, programs were cut to try to balance a troubled state budget in what she remembers as “that terrible time.”

She now finds herself in a strikingly different position: As administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9, she has a mandate to address water challenges across California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii and $1 billion to help pay for it. It is the kind of funding, she said, that is usually spread out over a decade. Guzman called it the “absolutely greatest opportunity.”

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Western Water August 27, 2021 Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Delta Water-Starved Colorado River Delta Gets Another Shot of Life from the River’s Flows By Gary Pitzer

Water-Starved Colorado River Delta Gets Another Shot of Life from the River’s Flows
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Despite water shortages along the drought-stressed river, experimental flows resume in Mexico to revive trees and provide habitat for birds and wildlife

Water flowing into a Colorado River Delta restoration site in Mexico.Water is flowing once again to the Colorado River’s delta in Mexico, a vast region that was once a natural splendor before the iconic Western river was dammed and diverted at the turn of the last century, essentially turning the delta into a desert.

In 2012, the idea emerged that water could be intentionally sent down the river to inundate the delta floodplain and regenerate native cottonwood and willow trees, even in an overallocated river system. Ultimately, dedicated flows of river water were brokered under cooperative efforts by the U.S. and Mexican governments.

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Western Water March 14, 2019 Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

‘Mission-Oriented’ Colorado River Veteran Takes the Helm as the US Commissioner of IBWC
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Jayne Harkins’ duties include collaboration with Mexico on Colorado River supply, water quality issues

Jayne Harkins, the U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission.For the bulk of her career, Jayne Harkins has devoted her energy to issues associated with the management of the Colorado River, both with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and with the Colorado River Commission of Nevada.

Now her career is taking a different direction. Harkins, 58, was appointed by President Trump last August to take the helm of the United States section of the U.S.-Mexico agency that oversees myriad water matters between the two countries as they seek to sustainably manage the supply and water quality of the Colorado River, including its once-thriving Delta in Mexico, and other rivers the two countries share. She is the first woman to be named the U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission for either the United States or Mexico in the commission’s 129-year history.

  • Read more
Western Water June 15, 2018 Jenn Bowles Colorado River Basin Map Jennifer Bowles

Domino Effect: As Arizona Searches For a Unifying Voice, a Drought Plan for the Lower Colorado River Is Stalled
EDITOR'S NOTE: Finding solutions to the Colorado River — or any disputed river —may be the most important role anyone can play

Nowhere is the domino effect in Western water policy played out more than on the Colorado River, and specifically when it involves the Lower Basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. We are seeing that play out now as the three states strive to forge a Drought Contingency Plan. Yet that plan can’t be finalized until Arizona finds a unifying voice between its major water players, an effort you can read more about in the latest in-depth article of Western Water.

Even then, there are some issues to resolve just within California.

  • Read more
Western Water June 15, 2018 Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

As Colorado River Levels Drop, Pressure Grows On Arizona To Complete A Plan For Water Shortages
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: A dispute over who speaks for Arizona has stalled work with California, Nevada on Drought Contingency Plan

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

It’s high-stakes time in Arizona. The state that depends on the Colorado River to help supply its cities and farms — and is first in line to absorb a shortage — is seeking a unified plan for water supply management to join its Lower Basin neighbors, California and Nevada, in a coordinated plan to preserve water levels in Lake Mead before they run too low.

If the lake’s elevation falls below 1,075 feet above sea level, the secretary of the Interior would declare a shortage and Arizona’s deliveries of Colorado River water would be reduced by 320,000 acre-feet. Arizona says that’s enough to serve about 1 million households in one year.

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Publication March 27, 2017

Layperson’s Guide to the Colorado River Delta
Published 2017

The Colorado River Delta once spanned nearly 2 million acres and stretched from the northern tip of the Gulf of California in Mexico to Southern California’s Salton Sea. Today it’s one-tenth that size, yet still an important estuary, wildlife habitat and farming region even though Colorado River flows rarely reach the sea.

  • Read more
Western Water Magazine November 16, 2016

Two Countries, One River: Crafting a New Agreement
Fall 2016

This issue of Western Water examines the ongoing effort between the United States and Mexico to develop a new agreement to the 1944 Treaty that will continue the binational cooperation on constructing Colorado River infrastructure, storing water in Lake Mead and providing instream flows for the Colorado River Delta.

  • Read more
Western Water Excerpt November 10, 2016 Jenn Bowles

Two Countries, One River: Crafting a New Agreement
Fall 2016

As vital as the Colorado River is to the United States and Mexico, so is the ongoing process by which the two countries develop unique agreements to better manage the river and balance future competing needs.

The prospect is challenging. The river is over allocated as urban areas and farmers seek to stretch every drop of their respective supplies. Since a historic treaty between the two countries was signed in 1944, the United States and Mexico have periodically added a series of arrangements to the treaty called minutes that aim to strengthen the binational ties while addressing important water supply, water quality and environmental concerns.

  • Read more
Video May 21, 2014

Two Sides of a River (60-minute DVD)

California’s little-known New River has been called one of North America’s most polluted. A closer look reveals the New River is full of ironic twists: its pollution has long defied cleanup, yet even in its degraded condition, the river is important to the border economies of Mexicali and the Imperial Valley and a lifeline that helps sustain the fragile Salton Sea ecosystem. Now, after decades of inertia on its pollution problems, the New River has emerged as an important test of binational cooperation on border water issues. These issues were profiled in the 2004 PBS documentary Two Sides of a River.

  • Read more
Video May 21, 2014

Two Sides of a River (60-minute DVD Spanish)

$25.00

Spanish version of the 60-minute 2004 PBS documentary Two Sides of a River. DVD

  • Read more
Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Colorado River Basin Map
Redesigned in 2017

Redesigned in 2017, this beautiful map depicts the seven Western states that share the Colorado River with Mexico. The Colorado River supplies water to nearly 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico. Text on this beautiful, 24×36-inch map, which is suitable for framing, explains the river’s apportionment, history and the need to adapt its management for urban growth and expected climate change impacts.

  • Read more
Aquapedia background February 11, 2014 Colorado River Basin Map

Salton Sea

As part of the historic Colorado River Delta, the Salton Sea regularly filled and dried for thousands of years due to its elevation of 237 feet below sea level.

The most recent version of the Salton Sea was formed in 1905 when the Colorado River broke through a series of dikes and flooded the seabed for two years, creating California’s largest inland body of water. The Salton Sea, which is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, includes 130 miles of shoreline and is larger than Lake Tahoe. 

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Colorado River Water and Mexico

The Mexican Water Treaty of 1944 committed the U.S. to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico on an annual basis, plus an additional 200,000 acre-feet under surplus conditions. The treaty is overseen by the International Boundary and Water Commission.

Colorado River water is delivered to Mexico at Morelos Dam, located 1.1 miles downstream from where the California-Baja California land boundary intersects the river between the town of Los Algodones in northwestern Mexico and Yuma County, Ariz.

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Colorado River Delta (in Mexico)

The Colorado River Delta is located at the natural terminus of the Colorado River at the Gulf of California, just south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The desert ecosystem was formed by silt flushed downstream from the Colorado and fresh and brackish water mixing at the Gulf.

The Colorado River Delta once covered 9,650 square miles but has shrunk to less than 1 percent of its original size due to human-made water diversions.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 2013

An Era of New Partnerships on the Colorado River
November/December 2013

This printed issue of Western Water examines how the various stakeholders have begun working together to meet the planning challenges for the Colorado River Basin, including agreements with Mexico, increased use of conservation and water marketing, and the goal of accomplishing binational environmental restoration and water-sharing programs.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 2012

A Call to Action? The Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study
November/December 2012

This printed issue of Western Water examines the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study and what its finding might mean for the future of the lifeblood of the Southwest.

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Western Water Magazine November 1, 2009

The Colorado River: Building a Sustainable Future
November/December 2009

This printed issue of Western Water explores some of the major challenges facing Colorado River stakeholders: preparing for climate change, forging U.S.-Mexico water supply solutions and dealing with continued growth in the basins states. Much of the content for this issue of Western Water came from the in-depth panel discussions at the September 2009 Colorado River Symposium.

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Western Water Magazine September 1, 2008

Just Add Water? Restoring the Colorado River Delta
September/October 2008

This printed copy of Western Water examines the Colorado River Delta, its ecological significance and the lengths to which international, state and local efforts are targeted and achieving environmental restoration while recognizing the needs of the entire river’s many users.

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