IV 
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, 
Comisio´n Internacional de Lı´mites 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. CA´RDENAS, and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the importance of the United States Inter-
national Boundary Water Commission (USIBWC) and 
its recent efforts to address trash, sediment, and water 
quality issues with their Mexican counterparts, Comisio´n 
Internacional de Lı´mites 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 solu-
tions to issues that arise during the application of United 
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•HRES 241 IH 
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 Comisio´n Internacional 
de Lı´mites y Aguas (CILA); 
Whereas the USIBWC has the ability to implement the 
Water Treaty of 1944 through a minute to address cur-
rent 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 Recov-
ery 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 bina-
tional meeting among stakeholders to hear presentations 
regarding trash, sediment, and water quality issues; 
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•HRES 241 IH 
Whereas USIBWC Commissioner Edward Drusina and CILA 
Commissioner Roberto Fernando Salmo´n Castelo pro-
posed 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 rec-
ommendations; 
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, Cali-
fornia, 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 bina-
tional 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 
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•HRES 241 IH 
Whereas the United States will continue to utilize existing 
mechanisms, such as the United States Environmental 
Protection Agency Border 2020 program, the Border En-
vironmental 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 or-
ganizations for their leadership in addressing these 
issues; and 
(3) reaffirms its commitment to continue its 
partnerships 
with 
Mexico 
on 
protecting 
the 
transnational watersheds. 
Æ 
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