Water… A vital resource for a person's daily life. Water is what our farmers use to grow their crops, water is what the energy industry uses to extract oil and gas from the earth, water is what we consumers drink and that we depend on every day. Without water, we could not live and function. In fact, water is so important that 70 years ago, Texas and Mexico signed a treaty, in 1944, to ensure that Texas and Mexico would always share the water of the Rio Grande River. For decades, this treaty benefited Texas and Mexico, but recently tensions have increased between the two powers. The Texas-Mexico Water Treaty became a point of contention and steps were taken to resolve the issues. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed to form a border between the United States and Mexico. This border was formed along the Rio Grande River. It wasn't until 1944 that the Texas-Mexico Water Treaty was signed and outlined how water would be shared between Texas and Mexico. The treaty explained how water was to be shared between the two parties based on the surplus water in the river. The Rio Grande River is one of the largest in North America. It spans 1,885 miles and supports many farmers and consumers in Texas and Mexico. For example, Texas is the largest producer of cotton and livestock in the United States. Texas produced 13.86 million cattle and calves over a five-year average for the United States. Texas also produced 5,800,000 bales of cotton for the United States. Cotton is used to make jeans, sheets, T-shirts, pillowcases and much more. Products like livestock and cotton require water and the Rio Grande River contributes greatly to the success of these products. Cattle and cotton...... middle of paper ......//www.wildearthguardians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=priorities_wild_rivers_riogrande#.UoBEjLzUAnM>."Rio Grande- Rio Bravo." WWF Global, nd Web. November 10, 2013. "Save Export Print Quote Cornyn, Cruz, Vela and Conaway introduce water legislation to help address Texas water shortage and commit Mexico to treaty compliance." State Press Service. High Beam Research, June 10, 2013. Web. November 10, 2013. Staples, Todd and Carlos Rubinstein. Letter to Ambassador Anthony Wayne. September 10, 2013. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Np, and Web. November 10, 2013. .Vrazel, Julie. “AgLead XI visits RGV and empowers participants.” Texas Agriculture November 1, 2013: 12. Print.