Neither the United States nor Mexico can continue to sustain a water treaty that has been in place for almost 60 years, a Mexican ambassador said Thursday.
Alberto Szekely, ambassador for border resources issues, spoke at the UNM School of Law about his concerns about a water pact between Mexico and the United States.
"We have been advised by the U.S. that soon it will not be able to keep its commitments to Mexico," Szekely said.
In 1944, Mexico signed the Utilization of Waters Treaty with the United States, Szekely said. The treaty essentially guarantees a majority of water resources coming from the main channels of the Rio Grande to Mexico.
Szekely said the beginning of the treaty was "very good" for both countries. He said there was an abundance of water over the first 50 years, but after 1992, things drastically changed. Mexico was hit with a terrible drought that the United States refused to acknowledge because it would change the conditions of the treaty in terms of how much water Mexico owed.
He said the drought that occurred in Mexico, and later in the United States, along with "misuse, abuse and scarcity of water resources," contributed to both nations being unable to meet their commitments to the treaty.
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"Water is the most critical issue facing New Mexicans today," said Marilyn O'Leary, director of the Utton Transboundary Resources Center. "We felt that the more people who understand about water, the more they can support good decisions by our leaders on water use and issues."
The discussion was the third in a four-part series on water resources sponsored by the School of Law's Utton Transboundary Resources Center and the UNM Water Resources Program.
O'Leary said the center put the series together to inform people about the seriousness of New Mexico's water issues.
Szekely encouraged conservation for both nations and repeatedly returned to the idea of renegotiation between the two countries.
