US cuts water supply to Mexico's Baja California state

Mexico’s Baja California state could lose another 99Mm3 (million cubic meters) of clean water this year because of low levels at Nevada’s Hoover dam, according to an expert. 

Alfonso Cortez, an urban and environmental researcher at Mexicali’s Colegio de la Frontera Norte, said the low levels at Hoover have profoundly affected Baja California because the US has cut supply.

“The coastal area depends on the Colorado river water and on the rain, which they barely have. Therefore, their dams are below 50%. The one in Ensenada is at 6% capacity, the Abelardo L. Rodríguez [dam] in Tijuana is at 37%. The one in Tecate has more water, with 46% [capacity] because they are closer to the mountain area,” he told BNamericas.

The state receives water from Hoover under a bilateral agreement from 1944, but supply was cut last year already due to drought.

“The Colorado river is our main water supply source and there is a complex situation possibly due to climate change. The dams in the US send 1.85Bm3 per year to Mexico according to [the 1944 agreement]. This volume is sent under normal conditions. However, in 2017, some amendments were made to establish critically low levels which hadn’t been reached until last year,” Cortez said.

The US Bureau of Reclamation said late last year that the Colorado basin, home to Hoover and its source, Lake Mead, is experiencing a severe drought.

In line with projections, a level 1 shortage was declared, enabling cutting 5% from the Mexico allotment. 

“Due to the water contingency savings, Mexico stopped last year receiving 51Mm3 which is half of what Mexicali’s water operator consumes in a year. Now, with the second level of cuts, our allotment was reduced by 99Mm3 for 2022, which is equivalent to the total consumption of Mexicali’s water operator in a year or what could be used to irrigate 10,000ha,” said Cortez.