On June 6, 2023, US team members from the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) met at the WRRC to talk about past, current, and future research and collaborative efforts. Meeting participants included team members working on behalf of the WRRC, the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, the Texas Water Resources Institute, the United States Geological Survey, and the US Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). The transboundary aquifers shared by the United States and Mexico have been actively studied following the framework established by the 2009 IBWC "Joint Report of the Principal Engineers Regarding the Joint Cooperative Process United States-Mexico for the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program" (TAAP Cooperative Framework). The TAAP efforts to date have improved knowledge of the transboundary Santa Cruz and San Pedro aquifers in Arizona and Sonora, along with the Mesilla and Hueco Bolson aquifers in Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua. After the first day of presentations and discussions, participants went on a field trip to IBWC’s Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rio Rico, which was followed by a meeting with research colleagues from the University of Sonora.
Image: Sam Fernald; Team members from the IBWC, USGS, TWRI, NMWRRI, and the WRRC at the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant.