WSP09503

• File Number: 8278.400
• Description: Title I - Mexican Treaty
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 5/10/1962
• Author: CWCB - D. Hamburg
• Title: Mexican Water Treaty Negotiations Pertaining to the Colorado River
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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the Colorado River, the water delivered to Mexico ranges from
1000 ppm to 2890 ppm.

The Mexicans claim that this water is unfit for irriga-
tional uses and, consequently, the United States is violating its
obligations under the Treaty. The united states claims that if
the Mexicans used proper irrigation methods, such as those em-
ployed within the united States, that the water is usable. The
United States also claims that there is no obligation established
by the Treaty which requires that water of a certain quality need
be delivered to Mexico.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DRAINAGE AREA

The Colorado River rises in the United States and flaws
for a distance of about 1,400 miles to the Gulf of California.
The drainage area of the river in the United States embraces por-
tions of the States of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Ari-
zona, Nevada and California with the State of Colorado contribut-
ing more than 65 percent of the entire water supply. The area of
the river basin in the United States is 242,000 square miles and
in Mexico 2,000 square miles. The drainage area by states is as
follows:

State

Square Miles

Wyoming
Colorado
New Mexico
Utah
Arizona
Nevada
California

19,000
39,000
23,000
40,000
103,000
12,000
6,000

Total in the United States
Total in Mexico

242,000
2,000

Grand Total

244,000

The water supply of the Colorado River is derived
largely from snow that accumulates in the mountains of the Upper
Basin during the winter months and which melt to cause the usual
spring floods. In 1945 the reconstructed flow, or the virgin
flow, since 1897 at Yuma, Arizona was 17,600,000 acre-feet annual-
ly. Prior to the placing in operation of Boulder Dam in 1935
frequent floods occurred in the lower river. Such floods,

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