“A century ago, the Colorado River ran 1,500 miles from the Rockies to the Gulf of California largely uninterrupted.  Like a peacock spreading its feathers, the river fanned its delta across 2 million acres of winding river and green lagoons, with mesquite and willow trees providing habitat for hundreds of species of birds.  The river was everywhere and nowhere, wrote the conservationist Aldo Leopold during a canoe trip to the delta in 1922.

That was then. Now, in most of the delta, the river is simply nowhere.

Minute 323 specifically states that Mexico can continue to store water in Lake Mead, keeping water at a healthy level in the reservoir; lays out how the two countries will make voluntary cutbacks in times of drought; commits the United States to financially supporting water efficiency projects in Mexico that will save more than 200,000 acre-feet of water, in return for a one-time water exchange; and requires both countries to provide water and funding for habitat restoration and scientific work in the Colorado River Delta for the next decade.  Text courtesy of The Nature Conservatory.

In this time of political divisiveness, formalizing this agreement is a testament to the partnership, alliance and long-term common goals for sustainability of the Colorado River between the United States and Mexico.  Taylor Hawes Colorado River Program Director.