[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 241 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 241

Recognizing the importance of the United States International Boundary 
  Water Commission (USIBWC) and its recent efforts to address trash, 
  sediment, and water quality issues with their Mexican counterparts, 
 Comision Internacional de Limites y Aguas (CILA), through a proposed 
                                minute.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2013

   Mr. Vargas (for himself, Mr. Peters of California, Mrs. Davis of 
  California, Mr. Cardenas, and Mr. Grijalva) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the importance of the United States International Boundary 
  Water Commission (USIBWC) and its recent efforts to address trash, 
  sediment, and water quality issues with their Mexican counterparts, 
 Comision Internacional de Limites y Aguas (CILA), through a proposed 
                                minute.

Whereas the United States International Boundary Water Commission (USIBWC) 
        traces its roots to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and was 
        institutionalized through the Water Treaty of 1944;
Whereas the USIBWC's mission is to provide binational solutions to issues that 
        arise during the application of United States-Mexico treaties regarding 
        boundary demarcation, national ownership of waters, sanitation, water 
        quality, and flood control in the border region;
Whereas the USIBWC has authority provided by Article 3 of the 1944 Water Treaty 
        to have ``preferential attention to the solution of all border 
        sanitation problems'';
Whereas the USIBWC continues to work productively with their Mexican 
        counterparts, the Comision Internacional de Limites y Aguas (CILA);
Whereas the USIBWC has the ability to implement the Water Treaty of 1944 through 
        a minute to address current development on the border;
Whereas stormwater flows continue to bring substantial amounts of sediment, 
        trash, and other contaminants into the Tijuana Valley from sources in 
        both the United States and Mexico causing water quality impairments, 
        threatening life and property from flooding, degrading valuable riparian 
        and estuarine habitats, and negatively impacting people on both sides of 
        the international boundary;
Whereas the San Diego field office of the USIBWC has been an active participant 
        of the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team which was formed in an effort 
        to develop local solutions to sediment and trash depositions issues for 
        the Tijuana River;
Whereas sediment, trash, and other pollutants carried in stormwater runoff 
        currently threaten the valley's valuable ecological, recreational, and 
        economic resources;
Whereas on June 19, 2012, the USIBWC convened a binational meeting among 
        stakeholders to hear presentations regarding trash, sediment, and water 
        quality issues;
Whereas USIBWC Commissioner Edward Drusina and CILA Commissioner Roberto 
        Fernando Salmon Castelo proposed developing a principal engineers joint 
        report and subsequent minute to address trash, sediment, and water 
        quality;
Whereas both the United States and Mexico have developed a schematics for 
        binational coordination, including a working group to analyze data and 
        formulate recommendations;
Whereas trash, sediment, and water quality solutions will be key to the 
        sustainability of the Tijuana River, the Rio Grande, and Colorado River 
        watersheds;
Whereas support for the mission of the USIBWC is crucial to maintaining the 
        valuable ecological, recreational, and economic resources along the 
        United States border with Mexico;
Whereas the USIBWC has jurisdiction over key watersheds along the border in 
        California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas;
Whereas the USIBWC works directly with local communities to conserve 
        transboundary rivers in San Diego, California, Calexico, California, 
        Nogales, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, and Laredo, Texas;
Whereas the USIBWC is a key component of the United States strategy to partner 
        with Mexico to provide a binational forum to administer the water-rights 
        between the two nations;
Whereas the United States and Mexico have the common goal of reducing pollutants 
        at the source on both sides of the border; and
Whereas the United States will continue to utilize existing mechanisms, such as 
        the United States Environmental Protection Agency Border 2020 program, 
        the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission and local public and 
        private entities to address environmental concerns on the border: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses its support for the proposed minute to 
        address trash, sediment, and water quality between the United 
        States and Mexico's respective sections of the International 
        Boundary and Water Commission;
            (2) commends the USIBWC, the Tijuana River Valley Recovery 
        Team, and local environmental organizations for their 
        leadership in addressing these issues; and
            (3) reaffirms its commitment to continue its partnerships 
        with Mexico on protecting the transnational watersheds.
                                 <all>