The Colorado River Salinity Agreement of 1973 and the Mexicali Valley

Natural Resources Journal, Vol. 15, p. 83, 1975

25 Pages Posted: 5 Aug 2009

See all articles by Dale Beck Furnish

Dale Beck Furnish

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Jerry Ladman

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: 1975

Abstract

The Colorado is an important river. Its waters perhaps more than any other single factor, have made possible the rapid development of the southwestern United States, and have been even more important to the development of the Mexicali and San Luis Valleys. The International Boundary and Water Commission is charged with applying the Mexican-United States Water Treaty of 1944, and has wrestled with the problem of salinity. The commissioners signed Minute 242, and this article evaluates this Minute from a legal and economic perspective. It concludes that the Salinity Agreement is likely to be neither permanent nor definitive. It most likely will have deleterious consequences for the Mexicali and San Luis Valleys, which will have attendant ramifications for United States-Mexican relations and international law.

Keywords: International Law, United States-Mexican Relations, Colorado River

Suggested Citation

Furnish, Dale Beck and Ladman, Jerry, The Colorado River Salinity Agreement of 1973 and the Mexicali Valley (1975). Natural Resources Journal, Vol. 15, p. 83, 1975, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1443955

Dale Beck Furnish (Contact Author)

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States

Jerry Ladman

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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