For centuries, the Rio Grande has served as a geographic boundary as well as a joint lifeline, for two states and two nations. While various issues affect the border region, the most important is a rapidly growing population at odds with a diminishing water supply. Agencies from both New Mexico and Texas created a joint effort, the New Mexico-Texas Water Commission (the Commission), to develop cooperative solutions and ensure that the existing delicate balance of shared water between the two states remains intact. This paper describes the effort involved in creating and implementing an effective public outreach and community relations program to address these challenges.