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The Treaty Clock: The Río Bravo, Binational Water Law, and Neighborly Duty

Every five years the Río Bravo—call it the Rio Grande if you must—ticks like a metronome. On the last week of October, a binational ledger is balanced: 1.75 million acre-feet from six Mexican tributaries must have reached the United States, averaged over the cycle. Not every year. Not even evenly.