The Boundary Treaty of 1970 is a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...

between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

that settled all outstanding

boundary dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...

s and uncertainties related to the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) border between them. The most significant dispute remaining after the Chamizal Settlement in 1963 involved the location of the boundary in the area of

Presidio, Texas Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It is situated on the Rio Grande (''Río Bravo del Norte'') River, on the opposite side of the U.S.–Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The name originates from Spanish and means " ...

, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The river channel was relocated to approximate conditions existing prior to the dispute that arose from changes in the course of the river in 1907. The

International Boundary and Water Commission The International Boundary and Water Commission ( es, links=no, Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas) is an international body created by the United States and Mexico in 1889 to apply the rules for determining the location of their intern ...

was charged with its implementation. The '' American-Mexican Treaty Act'' of October 25, 1972 authorized participation by the United States IBWC section. The project commenced in 1975 and completed in 1977.

Provisions

The river was relocated in two reaches by the construction of a new channel in one reach and in the other. The relocated channel was aligned in the reach above Presidio-Ojinaga so as to transfer from north to the south side of the river and in the second reach downstream from the two cities so as to transfer from the south to the north side a net area of . It is an earth channel with dimensions patterned after the natural channel. The United States acquired of American agricultural land that was used for the transfer of lands to Mexico and for half of the river relocation. Also, the channel of the Rio Grande in the

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

–

Reynosa Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico. It is also the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality. The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAllen Me ...

area was relocated to transfer from Mexico to the United States by constructing a new earth channel. This transfer was made in exchange for the transfer from the United States to Mexico of two tracts of land, the Horcón Tract, after 1906 located south of the Rio Grande, and Beaver Island (La Isla de Morteritos), located in the river south of

Roma, Texas Roma is a city in Starr County, Texas, United States. There were 11,561 people at the 2020 census. The city is located along the Rio Grande, across from Ciudad Miguel Alemán in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The city is also popularly known as Roma-Los ...

, comprising in total. This provision transferred to Mexico the portion of the town of Río Rico, Tamaulipas, located within the Horcón Tract. The cost of the two relocations was shared equally by the two governments, with the United States performing the greater part of the work required in the Presidio-Ojinaga area, and Mexico performing the work required in the Hidalgo-Reynosa area and a small part of the work required in the Presidio-Ojinaga area.

References

Sources

*{{cite web , url=http://www.ibwc.state.gov/wad/body_rioproj.htm , title=US-Mexico Joint Projects , website=Ibwc.state.gov , accessdate=2016-12-08 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106214838/http://www.ibwc.state.gov/wad/body_rioproj.htm , archivedate=2006-01-06 1970 in Mexico International territorial disputes of the United States Territorial disputes of Mexico Texas border disputes Boundary treaties Mexico–United States border Mexico–United States treaties Treaties concluded in 1970 Treaties entered into force in 1972

Provisions

See also

References

Sources