SLIDE 1
NM WRRI Transboundary Water Research
April 10, 2019
- Dr. Sam Fernald, Director
New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute
Water Research April 10, 2019 Dr. Sam Fernald, Director New Mexico - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Water Research April 10, 2019 Dr. Sam Fernald, Director New Mexico - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
NM WRRI Transboundary Water Research April 10, 2019 Dr. Sam Fernald, Director New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) TAAP Purpose cooperat[ion] with the States on the border with
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
TAAP Purpose
“…cooperat[ion] with the States on the border with Mexico and other appropriate entities in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, and modeling program for priority transboundary aquifers, and for other purposes.”
- United States-Mexico Transboundary
Aquifer Assessment Act
U.S. Public Law 109-448
SLIDE 4
TAAP Timeline
- November 25, 2003: Senator Bingaman (NM) introduces the United
States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act
- December 22, 2006: United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer
Assessment Act signed into law
- August 19, 2009: Agreement between IBWC & CILA signed
Principal Engineers John Merino and Luis Antonio Rascon Mendoza signing the Joint Report on August 19, 2009
SLIDE 5
TAAP Priority Aquifers
- Santa Cruz
- San Pedro
- Hueco Bolson
- Mesilla Basin
Source: University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
SLIDE 6
TAAP Research for the Conejos Medanos/ Mesilla Basin by NM WRRI and USGS
SLIDE 7
TAAP Project Description
- To better understand the Mesilla Basin priority transboundary aquifer,
NM WRRI is addressing five major research efforts
- In addition, NM WRRI will work on two coordination efforts:
1) Ongoing development of a strategic work plan for activities in collaboration with USGS 2) Coordination of activities with Mexico
SLIDE 8
TAAP Project Description, continued
- Remote sensing to develop
evapotranspiration (ET) fluxes for the Mesilla Valley Aquifer
- S Bawazir (Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, NMSU), Z Samani
(Professor of Civil Engineering, NMSU), Juan Solis (graduate student, NMSU), Kevin Bokyo (graduate student, NMSU), Jusep Artola (graduate student, NMSU)
- Estimating recharge of alfalfa fields by
measuring ET and soil moisture in the semi-arid Mesilla Valley Aquifer
- K Boyko (Graduate Research Assistant, NMSU), A Fernald (Director,
NM WRRI), S Bawazir (Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, NMSU), Z Samani (Professor of Civil Engineering, NMSU)
TAAP research station inside an 80 acre alfalfa field. The instruments monitor Evapotranspiration with a weather station, Eddy co-variance tower, and net radiometer sensor in Santo Tomas, NM. Just south of Las Cruces
SLIDE 9
TAAP Project Description, continued
- Effects of changing water
availability on riparian vegetation habitat and water use in the Mesilla Valley Basin Aquifer, New Mexico, US
- A Tellez (NMSU Graduate Research
Assistant), K Boykin (Associate Professor of Wildlife and Conservation, NMSU), A Fernald (Professor of Watershed Management, NMSU)
Figure from M.S. student Aracely Tellez’s thesis
SLIDE 10
TAAP Project Description, continued
- Geochemical and isotopic determination of deep groundwater as a
source of discharge and salinity to the shallow groundwater and surface-water systems, Mesilla Basin, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico
- KC Carroll (Assistant Professor of Geohydrology, NMSU), AJ Robertson (Hydrologist, USGS NM Water Science Center), C Kubicki
(Graduate Research Assistant, NMSU), A Fernald (Director, NM WRRI), Roland Purtschert (Senior Scientist, University of Bern)
M.S. student Chris Kubicki presenting his poster Isotopic and Geochemical Characterization Data for Deep and Shallow Groundwater in the Mesilla Basin, New Mexico
SLIDE 11
TAAP Project Description, continued
Photo credit: (Torres, 2017)
- Evaluating Policy and Management Instabilities in the Transboundary
Mesilla Basin Hydrologic-Social System to Rectify Public Health Concerns
- A Page (Program specialist, NM WRRI), S Fernald (Director, NM WRRI), S Langarudi (Post-doctoral research
scientist), S Forster-Cox (Professor of Public Health, NMSU), H Rahman (Assistant Professor of Public Health, NMSU)
SLIDE 12
Transboundary Research Coordination Beyond TAAP
SLIDE 13
Border Alliance: series of NSF-funded workshops
- Focus: “complex set of problems related to health, education,
environment, security, inequality and the movement of goods and people faced by communities along the U.S.-Mexico border”
- San Diego | Tijuana: June 5-7, 2019
- El Paso | Las Cruces | Cd. Juarez: June 10-12, 2019
U.S. planning partners for the Border Alliance
SLIDE 14
Border Alliance Breakout Session
- June 11, 2019: Las
Cruces, New Mexico
- Title: Innovative, multi-
disciplinary themes and partnerships to produce water research that addresses needs of the US-Mexico border corridor
The session will take place on NMSU’s campus Photo credit: Peggy Risner, NM WRRI
SLIDE 15
NSF-funded follow-up meeting
- August 8-10, 2019: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
- Purpose: Researchers will build on the themes developed during the
Border Alliance breakout session to determine tangible research
- utcomes and objectives for funding
The meeting will take place at Hacienda Santa Clara in San Miguel de Allende Photo credit: Hacienda Santa Clara
SLIDE 16
Contact Information
- Dr. Sam Fernald