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A new scientific study warns that the Rio Grande, the river that marks much of the border between the United States and Mexico, is in a state of severe water crisis, driven by decades of overuse and worsening drought. Researchers say the situation now demands urgent action from both countries.
The report, “Overconsumption Gravely Threatens Water Security in the Binational Rio Grande-Bravo Basin,” finds that more than half the water used across the Rio Grande basin is being drained faster than it can be replenished.
Water is being pulled from the river, reservoirs, and underground aquifers at an unsustainable pace, leaving long stretches of the Rio Grande dry and accelerating a decline in farmland and groundwater supplies.
More than 15 million people depend on the river for drinking water. But agriculture consumes the vast majority — about 87% — of the basin’s available water. When surface water runs out, farmers increasingly rely on reservoirs and groundwater, causing aquifers to collapse and water tables to fall.
The river now delivers only about 15% of its natural flow to the Gulf of Mexico, a steep drop from historical levels.
Researchers say a major part of the problem is a patchwork of water rules and agencies that makes it difficult for states, irrigation districts, and the two nations to coordinate. In the U.S., Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas each manage water separately, guided only by a handful of interstate compacts.
In Mexico, one national water law governs the system, but local irrigation districts still control most water deliveries.
These fragmented systems make it hard to plan or enforce basin-wide solutions.
Existing agreements between states and between the U.S. and Mexico help ensure some water moves downstream, but they do not solve the overall shortage. When states or Mexico fail to send required water downstream, it often triggers lawsuits rather initiate than long-term fixes.
Urban and agricultural conservation efforts so far have not been enough to slow the decline. The study finds that new water sources, such as imported water or desalination, would be too costly for most farmers.
That leaves only difficult choices: shifting to crops that require little water, reducing irrigation during the growing season, or converting some farmland to other uses like wildlife habitat or to solar energy collection facilities.
The report also calls for immediate steps to stop groundwater depletion, including moratoriums on new wells and limits on pumping in stressed areas. Such caps have worked in other regions but require strong enforcement, something experts say has been inconsistent in both countries.
