The TCEQ Watermaster announced today the receipt of more than 224,000 acre feet of water from Mexico at the Amistad reservoir near Del Rio, Texas. This milestone marks the first time since 1992 that Mexico has been able to close a water accounting cycle without a water debt to the U.S.

"I am pleased that the government of Mexico is making such a strong effort to meet its obligations," says TCEQ Chairman Buddy Garcia. "The efforts of the watermaster, the International Boundary and Water Commission, Mexican government officials, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Governor Rick Perry have paid off to assure certainty of the area's future water supplies."

Under a treaty signed by both countries in 1944, Mexico is obligated to transfer a minimum of 350,000 acre-feet per year on average to the U.S., except in periods of extraordinary drought. The treaty stipulates water cycles that begin when both Amistad and Falcon reservoirs are full or at five-year intervals whichever comes first.

This transfer closes cycle 27, increasing U.S. reserves by 6.8 percent. During the five-year cycle, from Oct. 2002-Sept. 2007, Mexico has delivered 1,750,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. which is the treaty minimum requirement.

An acre-foot of water is the amount of water necessary to cover one acre to a depth of one foot. It is the equivalent of 325,851 gallons of water. This is roughly the amount of water used yearly by an American household of four. The 224,639 acre-feet also represent the average annual water utilization by municipalities drawing water from the Rio Grande from Del Rio to Brownsville, or roughly two months of peak irrigation demand.

The current status of the basin, other water allocations, and the additional water received, will allow the U.S. to maintain irrigation water demands in the middle and lower Rio Grande going into 2008.