The U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program as a Model for Transborder Groundwater Collaboration

Sharing scientific data and information is often cited within academic literature as an initial step of water cooperation, but the transfer of research findings into policy and practice is often slow and inconsistent. Certain attributes—including salience, credibility, and legitimacy of scientific information; iterative information production; and sociocultural factors—may influence how easily scientific information can be used in management and policymaking. However, transnationality usually complicates these sorts of interactions. Accordingly, we argue that the production of scientific information and transboundary water cooperation build upon each other bidirectionally, each informing and enhancing the other. We employ a case-study analysis of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP), a binational collaborative effort for scientific assessment of aquifers shared between Mexico and the United States. Here, information sharing was possible only by first completing a formal, jointly agreed-upon cooperative framework in 2009. This framework resulted in a collaborative science production process, suggesting that the relationship between sharing data and information and transboundary groundwater governance is iterative and self-reinforcing. In keeping with the publication of the TAAP’s first binational scientific report in 2016, we demonstrate the bidirectional relationship between science production and water governance in the TAAP and explore remaining challenges after scientific assessment.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Bidirectionality and The Science-policy Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

Science and Binational Cooperation: Bidirectionality in the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program in the Arizona-Sonora Border Region

Petersen‐Perlman

Albrecht

Tapia-Villaseñor

et al. 2021

“…The International Boundary & Water Commission (IBWC) oversees the application of USA-Mexico treaties related to boundary demarcation and the national ownership of water resources [5]. Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) is a binational scientific effort that enables data sharing, harmonization, and knowledge improvement of the transboundary aquifers.…”

Section: Protocol For Transboundary Data Sharing and Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Hueco Bolson lies within the state-triangle of New Mexico (USA), Texas (USA), and Chihuahua (Mexico) and is recognized as a transboundary aquifer by the USA and Mexico [3,4]. It has been declared a priority aquifer under the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) [5] of the USA and Mexico, highlighting the importance of Hueco Bolson for the transboundary Paso del Norte Region with its sister cities of El Paso (Texas) and Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua).…”

Section: Introduction and History Of Modeling Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Status and Future Directions in Modeling a Transboundary Aquifer: A Case Study of Hueco Bolson

Talchabhadel

McMillan

Palmate

et al. 2021

The Hueco Bolson aquifer is a binational aquifer shared by the United States of America (USA) and Mexico that is strongly interconnected with the transboundary river, Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. Limited recharge, increasing urbanization, and intensified agriculture have resulted in the over-drafting of groundwater resources and stressed the aquifer, threatening its sustainability if mitigation actions are not taken soon. Research indicates that the aquifer’s hydraulic gradients and flow directions have changed due to the high groundwater withdrawal rates from the two major cities—El Paso (USA) and Ciudad Juarez (Mexico). This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the Hueco Bolson aquifer modeling history and makes a case for future modeling and binational engagement efforts. First, we discuss the evolution of groundwater modeling for Hueco Bolson from the past to recent times. Second, we discuss the main water management issues in the area, including water quality and quantity, stakeholders’ participation, and climate change. To address the challenges of holistic water management, we propose developing a graphical quantitative modeling framework (e.g., system model and Bayesian belief network) to include experts’ opinions and enhance stakeholders’ participation in the model. Though the insights are based on a case study of Hueco Bolson, the approaches discussed in this study can provide new strategies to overcome the challenges of managing a transboundary aquifer.

“…Successful transboundary groundwater management necessitates data and information produced through efforts such as assessments [9]. Collecting and exchanging data to increase understanding regarding these shared resources has emerged as a foundational component of assessments [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling as a Tool for Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Prioritization

Atkins

Langarudi

Fernald

2021

Transboundary aquifers are critical global water supplies facing unprecedented threats of depletion; existing efforts to assess these resources do not adequately account for the complexities of transboundary human and physical system interactions to the determinant of the impact of assessment outcomes. This study developed a system dynamics model with natural, human, and technical system components for a section of the transboundary Mesilla Basin/Conejos-Médanos aquifer to evaluate the following dynamic hypothesis: how and when information from a transboundary aquifer assessment is reported and perceived, in scenarios where two countries follow identical and different timeframes, dynamically impacts the behaviors of the shared aquifer. Simulation experiments were conducted to quantitatively assess the dynamics of transboundary aquifer assessment information reporting and perception delays. These critical feedbacks have not previously been incorporated practically in simulation and analysis. Simulation results showed that the timing and content of reporting can change the dynamic behavior of natural, human, and technical components of transboundary aquifer systems. This study demonstrates the potential for modeling to assist with prioritization efforts during the data collection and exchange phases to ensure that transboundary aquifer assessments achieve their intended outcomes.