Over the past fifteen years, policymakers, water agencies and non-governmental organizations from the U.S. and Mexico have begun working cooperatively to create historic change for the delta.
In 2012, we hit a milestone. That’s when the U.S. and Mexican governments agreed to a set of Delta restoration provisions in a historic, binational water-sharing agreement known as Minute 319.
This innovative policy framework allowed — for the first time — the U.S. and Mexico to share water surpluses in times of plenty and reductions in times of drought, provided incentives for leaving water in storage, and conserved water through joint investments in projects from water users in both countries. It also laid the foundation for ongoing environmental restoration projects in the Colorado River Delta, including the limited duration pulse flow that took place in spring 2014, bringing temporary relief to the Delta and allowing the river to flow to the Sea of Cortez for the first time since 1998.
Since that time, monitoring of the pulse flow has been carried out by federal agencies, universities, and conservation organizations to determine the impacts of the pulse flow, together with subsequent and ongoing water deliveries known as base flows, on the Delta ecosystem. We have also been paying close attention to the local communities’ responses. Their feedback has been invaluable as the U.S. and Mexico considered next steps for delta restoration, as Minute 319 concludes on December 31, 2017.
Its successor agreement, Minute 323, was executed on September 27, 2017, by both governments to promote a more secure water future and scale up ongoing environmental restoration projects in the Delta. Minute 323 expands the scope of restoration beyond the main channel to embrace innovative restoration work in the Delta’s estuary and nearby wetlands.
Raise the River has been a leading advocate of – and an active participant in – the negotiation and drafting of Minute 323 to support continued cooperative Colorado River management between Mexico and the United States.
With your help, we are demonstrating that hope is not lost for the Colorado River Delta Delta. Learn more about our progress and help us Raise the River.