HARLINGEN, Texas -- A single week of April rains significantly reduced Mexico's Rio Grande water debt to the United States, but some U.S. farmers and officials remained skeptical of Mexico's intentions to pay what it owes.

Rain from the week ending April 10 brought at least 143,000 acre feet of water into the two shared reservoirs along the Rio Grande, officials said Tuesday [April 20]. About one-third of that water went toward Mexico's debt, bringing it to about 920,000 acre feet. An acre-foot is enough water to cover an acre of land with a foot of water. The rains came during an unusually wet start to 2004 that has helped farmers and made the Rio Grande Valley greener than it's been in years.

"Everybody's in pretty good shape," said Wayne Halbert of the Harlingen irrigation district. "But as far as the debt issue is concerned, there's still a problem. It's still being paid the way it's always been paid -- by accident."

More than 100,000 acre feet of water flowed into Falcon Lake international reservoir in Zapata County during the rainy week. That alone credited Mexico with about two months worth of water, International Boundary and Water Commission spokeswoman Sally Spencer said. The Amistad Reservoir near Del Rio got about 43,000 acre feet.

Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico is required to release an average of 350,000 acre feet a year to the United States from the Rio Grande. The United States in return must send Mexico 1.5 million acre feet from the Colorado River. But with an extended drought that began in the 1990s, Mexico began falling behind on payments, and many drought-stricken U.S. farmers blame Mexico for their plight. As of 2002, Mexico owed 1.5 million acre feet.

State Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs was unimpressed with this month's reduction. "I think all of us have asked Mexico, since it has such a huge quantity in storage, to make a substantial payment on the debt," she said. She said one suggestion would be to have ledgers changed so the United States owns more of what's now in Falcon Lake.

Mexican officials have said that they are behind only because of drought conditions and that they have been negotiating in good faith with the United States. The recent tropical weather has helped. The National Weather Service in Brownsville has recorded 8.38 inches of rainfall this year, 3.73 inches above normal.