THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

                PRESIDENT NAMES JOHN M. BERNAL AS U. S. 
          COMMISSIONER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER 
                  COMMISSION UNITED STATES AND MEXICO

     President Clinton today announced his intention to appoint John M.

Bernal as the U. S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission - United States and Mexico.

John M. Bernal, of Arizona, is Public Works Director for the Pima County Department of Transportation and Flood Control District. He has had twenty-four years of experience in civil engineering management and is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the U.S./Mexico Sister Cities Committee and the Southern Arizona Water Resources Association. Mr. Bernal holds both a B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.B.A. from the University of Arizona.

The Water Treaty of 1944 established the International Boundary and Water Commission, within the Department of State, by reconstituting separate boundary and water commissions. The Commission monitors existing treaties between the United States and Mexico regarding boundary and water matters affecting both countries. The United States and Mexican Sections of the Commission coordinate activities pertinent to boundary demarcation and the management and distribution of the waters of the several shared rivers. The Commission oversees studies; construction and maintenance projects; and international flood control projects along the U.S./Mexico border; and seeks solutions for problems of salinity and sanitation.

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