Posted on 06/08/2005 4:59:28 PM PDT by nuke rocketeer
Some western parts of the Rio Grande are nearly dry and U.S. officials blame it on Mexican farmers diverting water for irrigation. Water flow from Presidio to El Paso has nearly stopped, and water officials claim that a makeshift earthen dam about 50 miles upriver from Presidio is the cause. Ken Rakestraw, chief of water accounting with the International Boundary and Water Commission in El Paso, said that very little water is flowing on that segment of the river. "They (Mexican farmers) pushed dirt across the river near Candelaria and there is very little water coming down right now," he said Tuesday afternoon. "We are not sure when it happened, but we started seeing that this morning." Candelaria is a little town on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, across from the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Rakestraw said that IBWC officials are talking with Mexican officials to reach a solution. "The river is also very low all the way from El Paso to the Big Bend National Park area," he said. "It?s an area of concern for us." Carlos Rubinstein, the Rio Grande Valley watermaster, said water flow has slowed to a trickle between Redford and the ghost town of Lajitas. "Water has been diverted at a point known as El Mulato," he said, "and some of that water belongs to the United States." Although it?s too early to tell what impact the reduced water flow could have on Falcon and Amistad dams ? the watersheds for the Rio Valley, Rubinstein said there are two issues to address. One is that the river has gone dry in some parts of its natural course, and the other is that some of the water being diverted into Mexico is owned by the United States. The water-sharing issue has been a source of diplomatic and economic friction between the two countries, particularly since Mexico has refused to fully abide by the terms of a 1944 water treaty, officials said. The Texas Department of Agriculture estimates that Mexico owes 1.4 million acre-feet of water to the United States and the water debt has caused an estimated $1 billion in losses to the Valley economy during the past 10 years. An acre-foot would cover an acre of land under one foot of water. Gordon Hill, general manager with the Bayview Irrigation District No. 11, said Mexico is blatantly stealing water that belongs to U.S. farmers. He said he contacted some U.S. officials to inform them about the latest development. "We are not going to sit back and let them do that to us," Hill said. "It?s ridiculous." He also said that Mexican farmers began illegally pumping water from the Rio Grande on Friday, but they had to stop because the river level was dropping considerably. Rubinstein confirmed that development. "It takes seven days for water to come down from the dams, but once it got down here it was stolen," Hill said. "If we have no water to pump, our farmers will get no water for irrigation. What the hell are they going to do?"
------ We will see who is right...so far, I am. :-)
I think I know what you are trying to say.
The big turn off was, "Mexico owns the White House".
Ummm....no, I don't think so.
That sounds like something the 'Rat pack (Dean, Pelosi, Kennedy, Reid) would say.
If you have the where-with-all to go look, I'll bet your statement is big news on DU right now.
They are always willing to bite.
LVM
How am I "reaching" when I describe the GA-AL border as qualitatively different from the TX-Mexico border?
Or, were you refering to my original post?
If you were (while I agree that such a declaration would be politically inexpedient) it would be, in a global-historical context, entirely within accepted norms.
This was the core of my statement - not that we should actually commit troops into their territory...
The big turn off was, "Mexico owns the White House".
-----
Well, first off,it may be true, and secondly, I would invite the DUs to say it loud and clear. Maybe then, the White House would realize that they are not going to sweep the issue under the rug, like it appears, so far.
Talk about tin foil? What are you worried about? Bush, or what is right for the country and American citizens? I am worried about the latter, as Bush should be, as well as the ENTIRE CONGRESS. Do you think that this is a news flash for the liberal creeps you mentioned? Not at all.
So again, let us assess what is important. Washington politics or the future and soverignty of our Republic.
Can the Treaty be dumped at this point and war declared?
I rest my case.
Bye.
LVM
I don't think that is a very good analogy.
If say some farmers in Alabama figured out a way to divert the Chattahoochee to their farms, I think the state of Alabama would simply make them stop.
I am sure New Mexico would like to have some extra water. Just divert it all until those thieves learn to behave. Of course it would also shut off the river to Americans below but it doesn't look like they are getting much anyway.
Technically, the water flows from El Paso to Presidio. Of course, New Mexico is even more at fault. (Maybe this year they'll release some water.) The entire Pecos river in Texas has been mostly dry since the Red Bluff dam was built.
Since New Mexico has been failing release its mandated water to Texas, the Rio Grande has been fed by the Rio Conchos (the Mexican one, not the San Angelo one.)
Which is (and should be), the way this will be handled, rather than considering it an act of war. AL & GA won't go to war, neither will the US & Mexico.
The difference is Mexico will not make them stop.
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