ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After nearly a decade of strife, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Valderas has filed a lawsuit in New Mexico, Texas, on how to distribute water from the Rio Grande between southern and western New Mexico. The states of Mexico and Colorado have announced a “historic agreement”. Texas.
Details of the contract, which is still subject to approval, will remain sealed by court order.
“Extreme drought and volatile climate change force the state to work together to protect the Rio Grande River, the lifeblood of New Mexico’s farmers and communities. The state’s historic water pact,” it said. Attorney General Valderas said.
A lawsuit filed in Texas in 2013 raised questions about how much water each of Texas and New Mexico was entitled to under the 1938 Rio Grande Compact.
The Rio Grande River in question lies between the Elephant Butte Dam and Hudspeth County, Texas, which includes the cities of Las Cruces and El Paso.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the 1932 agreement also provides for the delivery of water to Mexico under international treaties.
The state will file a petition with the court seeking approval of the agreement for a hearing before Special Master Michael Meloy, and will ultimately seek final approval from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The United States has until November 14th to submit a motion to the Special Master for approval of the agreement, and the United States has until January 6th, 2023 to submit a counter-response.
Special Master Meloy has set a hearing on the motion and briefing for January 24, 2023.
