The State Department said it was the first time that the United States has rejected a request by Mexico for special delivery of water, which would have gone to the border city of Tijuana.
The 1944 treaty, which governs water allocation from the Rio Grande and Colorado rivers, has come under growing strain in recent years due to the pressures of climate change and the burgeoning populations and agriculture in parched areas.
US farmers and lawmakers complain that their southern neighbor has waited until the end of each cycle and has been coming up short in the latest period, as Mexico struggles with drought, while the United States has sent its share of water regularly.
After 18 months of negotiations, the United States and Mexico reached an agreement in November, days after Trump's election, to improve deliveries.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday before the State Department announcement that the water issue was “being dealt with” through the two countries’ boundary and water commission.
Water worries on both sides
The Colorado River, also a major water source for Los Angeles and Las Vegas, has seen its water levels shrink due to drought and heavy agricultural consumption in the southwestern United States, with around half of its water going to raise beef and dairy cattle.
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday announced $280 million in relief funds for Rio Grande Valley farmers.
“I will work with the Trump administration to pressure Mexico into complying and to get water to Texas farmers.”
Trump has vowed to end arrivals of undocumented migrants, who largely come from Central America and Venezuela but transit through Mexico.
Trump deployed troops to the border and announced painful tariffs on Mexico, although he has since put them on hold until April 2.
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