Texas Scorecard by Mary Berg 6/3/2026
The settlement approval between Texas and New Mexico is being proclaimed a win for farmers and water rights. The U.S. Supreme Court approved a settlement between Texas and New Mexico that restricts New Mexico from pumping groundwater, which had reduced water flow for downstream Texas.
The settlement ends a longstanding legal dispute after Texas sued New Mexico in 2013 claiming New Mexico’s excessive groundwater pumping was in violation of the 1938 Rio Grande Compact. The compact, between Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, regulated water usage along the Rio Grande.
In the lawsuit, Texas focused particularly on the stretch of water between the Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico and the Texas border.
AG Paxton celebrated the settlement between the states. “My office has worked diligently for years to secure this settlement, and I am grateful that the Supreme Court has approved it. This agreement helps Texas farmers and families receive the water they depend on every single day from the Rio Grande.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/federal/us-supreme-court-ends-13-year-rio-grande-water-dispute/
