each of them will receive from the construction of the works, account
being taken of the utility thereof, both from the point of view of
defense against floods, and from that of irrigation.
  The Government of Mexico concurs with that of the United States
of America in considering that the physical character of the Rio
Bravo valley prevents a distribution by equal parts of the principal
stream at specified points of its channel (although it does insist on
a total distribution in equal parts of the general flow which the said
principal channel carries and conducts). Accordingly, it is consid-
ered advisable that the volume assigned to each country be its property
and under its control in each of the international storage dams, that
the countries may thence run them off in the most advantageous
manner and the greatest flexibility and independence in the uses
effected by each be achieved.
  The above agreement implies a common opinion as to the right
to use the channel of the river to transport the water assigned to
each country from the storage receptacles to the points of intake
or run-off most convenient to the riparian users. In addition, as
stated in the Department of State's memorandum under reference,
the system requires an efficient appraisal service and the necessity
of keeping an account of the water in each storage receptacle, to
the end that the amount to be accredited to each country may be
determined, losses by evaporation and waste being charged in pro-
portion to the amount stored which has been credited to each country.
  Among those most important general points-on which the existing
agreement between the two Governments establishes an adequate sys-
tem for the best utilization and distribution of the waters of the Rio
Bravo-there is only one important discrepancy, with certain in-
cidentals, concerning which a fair arrangement can be reached.
  The Government of the United States proposed that certain Mex-
ican affluents of the Rio Bravo furnish a volume of one million
acre-feet annually for the exclusive use of the American bank. This
contribution should be liquidated and completed in cycles of three
years. It considers that, with such volume, plus the total contri-
bution of the American affluents and fifty per cent of the flow of
the principal channel (not coming from evaluated affluents), the
United States would have its needs met.
  The Government of Mexico regrets that it is unable to accede to the
American proposal in consideration of the fact that the volume of
the Mexican affluents assigned to meeting the aforesaid allotment
is so low that in dry years Mexico would not be able to comply with
its obligation without decreasing uses already existing in the valleys
of these affluents. Furthermore, a series of dry years would leave
Mexico, when it made the triennial liquidation, with a debt which
it would be very difficult to redeem in the future. In order to obtain



MEXICO



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