Texas, New Mexico settle Rio Grande water dispute
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following a decade-long dispute, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and the United States filed settlement agreements related to the Texas v New Mexico and Colorado case.
The dispute began in 2013 when Texas claimed that New Mexico had violated the 1938 Rio Grande Compact, which requires the equitable apportionment of the waters of the Rio Grande River. The Rio Grande provides water to roughly six million people in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and the Republic of Mexico.
According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, the agreements “allow the states and their water users to move forward in implementing sustainable long-term compliance with the Rio Grande Compact and water resources management practices in the Lower Rio Grande.”
The settlement agreements will be considered during a Sept. 29 hearing, and the U.S. Supreme Court will make the final decision in the case.
“If approved by the Court, the settlement will provide certainty for water users in New Mexico and Texas and ensure that local communities and economies in the Lower Rio Grande can continue to thrive.”
