Mc ALLEN, Texas :- The United States and Mexico have agreed to share the cost of repairing dozens of sinkholes and leaks in Amistad International Dam, which spans the US-Mexico border in South Texas.
According to a change to the 1944 international water treaty, the United States will pay 56.2% of the costs for repairs, while Mexico will pay 43.8%, the International Boundary and Water Commission announced Monday.
The agreement was signed on December 10 in El Paso and approved by both governments. It will allow “structural safety measures that must be implemented to reduce the risk of failure at Amistad International Dam due to the presence of sinkholes and seepage,” according to the 37-page agreement obtained by Border Report.
According to the IBWC, repairs will include fixing 55 sinkholes on Mexico’s portion of the dam’s earthen embankment.
“We are collaborating with Mexico on the technical expertise and costs involved in rehabilitating Amistad Dam,” said US IBWC Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner. “Experts from both countries agreed that the recent discovery of additional sinkholes was cause for concern, but not alarm. We are constantly monitoring the safety of this dam and will keep the community informed of its progress.”
Last January, the Amistad Dam Port of Entry, which connects to the Mexican state of Coahuila, was temporarily closed for sinkhole repairs. Giner stated that this occurred shortly after the US Army Corps of Engineers declared the dam to be “potentially unsafe.”
In the agreement signed earlier this month, both countries stated: “Works for the construction of the Composite Cutoff Wall on the Mexican side of Amistad Dam’s earthen embankment are declared to be extraordinary or emergency in nature.”
Mexico has pledged $20 million towards Phase I of the reconstruction costs.
Repairs will be completed in two stages: contracting for project design and construction.
The design of the project began on September 17 and is expected to be completed in March. When construction begins, it is expected to take 30 months.
“It is critical for the United States, Mexico, and the IBWC to ensure Amistad Dam’s safety,” said Mexican IBWC Commissioner Adriana Reséndez. “The design and construction of this important project is being done in a joint and coordinated manner between the two countries in order to ensure all the technical aspects inherent to it.”
The dam has been losing water for several years. “Most of this seepage is traveling through the foundation of karstic limestone,” according to an Oct. 8 joint report by principal engineers from both countries who have been studying this issue.
The recent water loss occurs at a critical time for the South Texas border region, which has been dealing with months of dry weather, drought, and overpopulation.
The 1944 treaty requires Mexico to pay the United States 1.75 million acre-feet of water for the Rio Grande every five years. The current cycle expires in October, and Mexico has only paid 432,048 acre-feet, according to the IBWC.
The state’s only sugar mill in Hidalgo County closed in January 2024 due to a lack of water. Water scarcity threatens citrus and other crops in the Rio Grande Valley, as well as municipalities and farmers.
A change in the international water treaty came too late for one Texas farmer. Amistad Dam is located 12 miles north of the border cities of Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.
Construction on the 6-mile-long dam began in 1963 and was completed in 1969, becoming the second international storage dam built jointly by both countries under the 1944 Water Treaty.
According to a 2020 report by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the dam and lake provide more than $76 million in annual public benefits to the United States, including $8 million for flood risk management, $9 million for hydropower, $7 million for industrial and municipal water supply, $8 million for irrigation, and $44 million for recreation, fish, and wildlife.
South Texas lawmakers have praised the agreement.
“From providing irrigation water storage to generating electricity, the Amistad Dam is a critical resource to South Texas,” John Cornyn, a U.S. senator, said. “Every drop of water saved is vital to communities in the Rio Grande Valley, and I appreciate the IBWC for working to ensure areas of the dam impacted by sinkholes and seepage are restored.”
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, expressed satisfaction that Mexico and the United States had agreed to restore the dam.
“This critical project will ensure that water is stored securely as well as bolster an integral energy source in South Texas,” Cuellar told the crowd. “Furthermore, the Amistad Dam is important for other activities including recreational and fishing opportunities.”
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, stated that Amistad Dam is critical to the Rio Grande’s water conservation infrastructure.
“It protects South Texas from the devastating impacts of flooding while also providing a supply of water for our municipalities, agriculture producers, and irrigation districts,” he said. “I am pleased that this agreement was signed and that IBWC has begun the rehabilitation of Amistad Dam to ensure it can continue to operate and serve the Rio Grande Valley.”