US court okays canal linning against Mexico wishes

One more possible stress at the Mexico US border as many farmers may be wihtout water they have had in the past. This just released by the wire.

Appeals court OKs concrete lining for canal on US-Mexico border
Associated Press
Last updated: Sunday, April 08th, 2007 10:59:41 AM


SAN DIEGO -- A federal appeals court in San Diego has ruled for the US and against Mexico in a decision involving millions of gallons of precious water.

A three-judge panel of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals says the US government can line a major canal along the border with concrete to keep millions of gallons of water from seeping south. It cites a law signed by President Bush last year ordering the project to begin.

Backers say it could meet the water needs of more than 500,000 homes in fast-growing San Diego County. Opponents of the concrete lining say it will devastate Mexican farmers who rely on the canal's seepage to replenish their underground water supply.

The 82-mile-long canal, fed water by Colorado River water, was completed in 1942. It feeds crops along both sides of the border.

The court says Mexico already gets a guaranteed share of Colorado River water under terms of a 1944 treaty and is entitled to no more.