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Development of a Bi-national Groundwater Management Model to Provide for a Sustainable Water Supply Within the El Paso / Ciudad Juarez Region

EPA Grant Number: SU832491
Title: Development of a Bi-national Groundwater Management Model to Provide for a Sustainable Water Supply Within the El Paso / Ciudad Juarez Region
Investigators: Keller, Randy G. , Chew, Mariana , Gonzalez, Hector
Institution: University of Texas at El Paso
EPA Project Officer: Nolt-Helms, Cynthia
Project Period: October 1, 2005 through October 1, 2006
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet (2005)
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Description:

The El Paso/Juarez region is the largest metropolitan area along the United States /Mexico border. The area is in need of a long-term water management plan to include groundwater and surface water, due to the scarcity of fresh groundwater and because it has a population growth higher than the U.S./ Mexico and World population growth rates.

The Hueco and Mesilla Bolsons are the main aquifers and the primary water source for municipal and industrial uses. The City of Juarez in Mexico relies on groundwater for almost one hundred percent of its water needs, while the City of El Paso, Texas relies on groundwater for as much as sixty percent of its water needs. Even though groundwater is the most important source of water for the region, bi-national water management along the United States/Mexico border is focused on surface water and not on groundwater. There are no formal local and/or international agreements with regard to how groundwater should be managed. Current regional planning efforts lack a global water management approach, and social, political, and legal issues have only been addressed marginally.

The purpose of the proposed study is to develop a bi-national groundwater management model that enables the El Paso/Juarez region to consider a strategic planning approach that will include existing hydro-geological, legal, social, economical and political studies, along with new bi-national agreements that describe limitations and recommend new initiatives. Additional similar, bi-national environmental issues could also be modeled after the proposed bi-national groundwater management model. This project will require close coordination with the El Paso Water Utilities as well as the City of Juarez Water Utility

Supplemental Keywords:

hydro-geological studies, economics, groundwater, water management plan, urban planning, sustainable development, environmental policy, U.S./Mexico Border, , Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Environmental Engineering, Ecology and Ecosystems, Urban and Regional Planning, urban planning, environmental sustainability, recovery, environmental education, drinking water, conservation, rainfall harvesting, resource recovery, environmental cost analysis, sustainable urban environment, sustainable water use, renewable resource, US Mexico Border, cost benefit, water conservation

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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