WRRC Hosts USIBWC Southeast AZ Citizens Forum
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, the US Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum board convened a public meeting at the WRRC. Citizens Forum meetings, which are held in various location in southeast Arizona, facilitate the exchange of information between the USIBWC and members of the public about Commission activities throughout the southern border region. After the welcome and introductions, John Light, USIBWC Nogales Field Office Area Operations Manager, provided field office updates and a status report on the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant rehabilitation project. The plant, which treats international and domestic wastewater for Ambos Nogales (Nogales, Arizona, US, and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico) will undergo major renovations to implement and increase system redundancy. These measures will ensure continued operation and provide opportunities for the plant’s growth and improvement.
Following Light’s presentation, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal and Universidad de Sonora Professor Elia Tapia gave a joint presentation on the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP), a binational effort to study the conditions of shared aquifers, and broader groundwater management efforts in Arizona. Following the presentations, there was a brief discussion on prioritizing transboundary aquifers in the Arizona–Sonora region, which was also the topic of a recent WRRC Water Webinar that Tapia presented earlier this year; the public meeting portion concluded after two public comments were made.