BOARD02567

• Board Meeting Date: 1/24/2001
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

13

I
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY! AND WATER COMMISSION
UNITED STATES;AND MEXICO

Minute No. 306

El Paso, Texas .
December 12, 2000

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CONCEPTUAL F~MEWORK FOR
UNITED STATES - MEXICO, STUDIES FOR FUTURE
,
RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING THE RIPARIAN AND
ESTUARINE ECOLOGY OF. THE UMITROPHE SECTION OF THE
COLORADO RIVER AND rrS ASSOCIATED DELTA
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The Commission met in the offices pf the United States Section in EI Paso,
Texas, at 11 :00 a.m. on December 12, 2000,1 to consider a conceptual framework for
cooperation by the United States and Mexicd through the development of studies and
recommendations concerning the riparian and estuarine ecology of the Colorado River
in its limitrophe section and its associated d~lta.

The Commissioners observed that sWdies are currently being perfonned by the
Commission to improve the capacity of the dolorado River channel to convey normal
and flood waters in the 24 mile (36 kilometer): ~imitrophe section of the Colorado River
under the authority of Article 13 of the Uniteil States. Mexico Treaty for "Utilization
of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana River~ and of the Rio Grande," signed February
3, 1944. Studies are also currently being 'performed by the Commission on the
preservation of the channel of the Colorado R.iver in its limitrophe section under the .
tenns of Article IV of the United States - Mexico Treaty to Resolve Pending Boundary
Differences and Maintain the Rio Grande and the Colorado River as the International
Boundary, signed November 23,1970. ;
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The Commissioners referred to the .Commission's binational teclmical task
force (hereinafter binational teclmical task ~orce) that was established to facilitate
studies concerning the Colorado River deltaiin Mexico, as well as water flows to the
Santa Clara Slough which are discharged td Mexico under IBWC Minnte No. 242,
entitled "Permanent and Definitive Solution to the lnternational Problem of Salinity of
the Colorado River," signed August 30, 197~. They made note of the United States.
Mexico consultations concerning the proppsed United States modification of its
domestic surplus water guidelines, currently ?eing conducted under the auspices ofthe
Commission. i.

The Commissioners noted that e~ch country has laws and regulations
concerning the preservation ofriparian and ~stuarine system habitat that are executed
by authorities that are provided such respo~sibility in their respective country. The
Commissioners recognized that cOllabOratio! is growing between those authorities as
well as between scientific, academic -and n, n-governrnenf organizations in the two
countries which have an interest in preservin the Colorado River delta ecology. They
observed that some studies conducted by the, e groups have provi-ded some definition .