Sustainable Water Management for the Paso del Norte Border Region
Sustainable Water Management for the Paso del Norte Border Region
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Minutes September 10, 1998 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
AGENDA SEPTEMBER 10 I. Mission II. Plan for fall assignment III. Fall assignments IV. Sustainable Development
I. PRP mission is to analyze critical water issues of the Paso del Norte region, and possibly recommend policies for sustainable water management. II. Plan for fall assignment Students' interests: Travis - M&I water supply and demand Jose - water supply and demand; modeling Mary - water law/ rights; Consumption patterns Sandra - El Paso water planning Rachel, Juan - Paso del Norte water administration Sally - IBWC/CILA; technological options Jennifer - conservation/education; Texas-New Mexico Compac Paula - restoration; transition to surface water Kristin, Water conservation and re-use
Steps involved in carrying out the fall assignment: 1. Title/terms of reference 2. Scoping (2 weeks) - research at library, www, unpublished reports (e.g. Texas Water Development Board and TNRCC); abstracts; list of potential interviewees 3. Developing work plan (2 weeks) - will allow us to see where we have our biggest holes; may change with time. Share/discuss with class in October. 4. Writing first draft (remaining weeks) - bringing together relevant data with tables and figures in the following format:
III. Fall assignments The text below reflects decisions made on September 10. We later made some changes to the fall assignments. For the up-to-date assignment description go to Fall Assignments--Overview.
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR FALL RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS General: Our purpose is to understand the water management institutions and the issues they face in the Paso del Norte from Southern New Mexico (Elephant Butte Reservoir) to Fort Quitman, Texas. All papers will give special attention to: a) the international nature of the study region, and b) the need to view surface and ground water resources as a whole. We are less interested in the organizational details of specific agencies. Instead we want to focus on the issues agencies are facing. We shall use the fall studies to prepare a succinct report on "Water and Sustainable Development in the Paso del Norte" in the Spring term. 1: Binational water management in the Paso del Norte. In-depth analysis of the role of CILA/IBWC in the Paso del Norte. Research topics should include: legal authority under 1944 treaty and subsequent agreements (References), construction and maintenance of water structures, diversion channels, pumping stations, allocation of surface water, sanitation and water quality, flood control, riparian management. Relations with other water management agencies. Relations with local water agencies and stake holders. Time permitting, analysis of the role of other international agencies, such as NADBank and BECC. People: Juan Manuel Aldrete-Sanchez, Sally (Billups) Talberg
2. Role of federal and state agencies in water management in the Paso del Norte. This paper will identify, analyze and compare the water management roles of governmental water agencies in Mexico (primarily CNA), United States (Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation-if active in the region), as well as the states of New Mexico (State Water Engineer), Texas (TNRCC and TWDB, in particular SB1 planning process) and Chihuahua). An important topic is the way water rights are adjudicated by different governments. The regional activities of environmental agencies (EPA/TNRCC, New Mexico Department of Natural Resources, and SEMARNAP will be covered. Joint efforts between different jurisdictions (such as the New Mexico-Texas Compact) will be included.--We start from the hypothesis that many management functions exercised by the Mexican federal government in the Juárez region are the responsibility of state agencies in New Mexico and Texas. We also want to find out whether and how ground water issues are addressed at the binational level. People: Mary Whittle, Rachel Poynter
3a. Water management and planning activities of municipal water offices and water boards in Cd. Juárez, El Paso and Las Cruces. Overview of water administration in the three metropolitan areas. In-depth analysis of two cities. Special focus on how cities plan for their future water needs. City planning strategies may include: reduced reliance on rapidly depleting Hueco Bolson, development of Mesilla Bolson (and controversies surrounding this issue), increased reliance on river water, pipeline for drinking water from Elephant Butte to Paso. Cooperation between Juarez and El Paso, or the lack thereof, will be documented. [Conservation and reuse of water are examined in 3b/4b] People: Sandra-Edith Torres
4a. Water management and planning roles of irrigation districts. Identify and briefly analyze the irrigation (or water and conservation) districts in Southern New Mexico, Texas (from the New Mexico state border to Fort Quitman), and the vicinity of Cd. Juárez. Select 3 irrigation districts for detailed analysis, if possible one each from Mexico, Texas and New Mexico. Investigate who controls irrigation districts and how stake holders are represented. Document which crops are planted (water intensive, high value, etc.), whether water is metered, what farmers pay. [Also see below 3b/4b] People: Paula McDermott
3b and 4b. Initiatives and options for increasing efficient use of water by cities and irrigation districts. Focus on conservation, re-use of water, improvements in irrigation techniques, water pricing, water markets and partnerships between cities and irrigation districts.--This paper will support the city and irrigation districts papers. We decide later whether 3b/4b feeds sections in 3a and 4a or remains a separate paper. People: Kristin Keeling, Jennifer Fox
5. Water supply and demand-past, current, future. Quantitative analysis of water supply and demand using either WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning System) or a spreadsheet model developed by Dr. Ward. Existing data from the various jurisdicitions will be assembled for a) population, b) surface water supply, c) ground water supply, d) M&I water demand, e) agricultural water demand, and f) water quality. Demographic and economic projections to 2030 (better 2040) will be needed. People: Jose Delatorre, Travis Phillips, Paula McDermott
IV. Lecture - Sustainable Development and project information. From the perspective of sustainable development of the Paso del Norte several issues are particularly important:
Agenda for September 17
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