The United States has refused a request by Mexico for water, alleging shortfalls in sharing by its southern neighbor, as Donald Trump ramps up a battle on another front. The state department said on Thursday it was the first time that the United States had rejected a request by Mexico for special delivery of water, which would have gone to the border city of Tijuana. … The 1944 treaty, which governs water allocation from the Rio Grande and Colorado River, has come under growing strain in recent years due to the pressures of the climate crisis and the burgeoning populations and agriculture in parched areas. … Under the treaty, Mexico sends water from rivers in the Rio Grande basin to the US, which in turn sends Mexico water from the Colorado River, further to the west. But Mexico has fallen behind in its water payments due to drought conditions in the arid north of the country.

Other U.S.-Mexico water news:

• Reuters: US denies Mexico’s request for special delivery channel for Colorado River water
• Politico: This is the next border fight — and it’s a stinker​
• The Hill: California Democrats invite EPA head to witness cross-border sewage crisis firsthand
• Alamosa Citizen (Colo.): U.S. denies Mexico’s water request
• John Fleck at Inkstain: Blog: Wrecking ball report: blowing up 25 years of productive US-Mexico collaboration on the Colorado River