Jump to navigation

The University of Arizona Wordmark Line Logo White
Home
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  •  
  • Events
  • News
  • Publications
  • Programs
  • Resources
  • Opportunities
  • About
  • Give
Weekly Wave
  • Facebook  
  • Twitter  
  • YouTube  

Log In

A research and extension unit of the

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Assessing Groundwater Withdrawal Sustainability in the Mexican Portion of the Transboundary Santa Cruz River Aquifer

January, 2022
Elia M. Tapia-Villaseñor Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico
Eylon Shamir Hydrologic Research Center, San Diego, CA
Mary-Belle Cruz-Ayala Water Resources Research Center (WRRC)
Sharon B. Megdal Water Resources Research Center (WRRC)
Water ,
Pankaj Kumar
ed., vol. 14, no. 2, pages 1-15, 15 pp., MDPI, Basel, Switzerland, January, 2022
PDF icon Assessing Groundwater Withdrawal Sustainability

The impact of climate uncertainties is already evident in the border communities of the United States and Mexico. This semi-arid to arid border region has faced increased vulnerability to water scarcity, propelled by droughts, warming atmosphere, population growth, ecosystem sensitivity, and institutional asymmetries between the two countries. In this study, we assessed the annual water withdrawal, which is essential for maintaining long-term sustainable conditions in the Santa Cruz River Aquifer in Mexico, which is part of the U.S.–Mexico Transboundary Santa Cruz Aquifer. For this assessment, we developed a water balance model that accounts for the water fluxes into and out of the aquifer’s basin. A central component of this model is a hydrologic model that uses precipitation and evapotranspiration demand as input to simulate the streamflow into and out of the basin, natural recharge, soil moisture, and actual evapotranspiration. Based on the precipitation record for the period 1954–2020, we found that the amount of groundwater withdrawal that maintains sustainable conditions is 23.3 MCM/year. However, the record is clearly divided into two periods: a wet period, 1965–1993, in which the cumulative surplus in the basin reached ~380 MCM by 1993, and a dry period, 1994–2020, in which the cumulative surplus had been completely depleted. Looking at a balanced annual groundwater withdrawal for a moving average of 20-year intervals, we found the sustainable groundwater withdrawal to decline from a maximum of 36.4 MCM/year in 1993 to less than 8 MCM/year in 2020. This study underscores the urgency for adjusted water resources management that considers the large inter-annual climate variability in the region.

Read the article

We tackle key water policy and management issues, empower informed decision-making, and enrich understanding through engagement, education, and applied research.

Give Today
Weekly Wave

Keep up with our news and events with a subscription to our Weekly Wave.

Subscribe

Reach Out

  • 350 N Campbell Ave
    Tucson, AZ 85719
  • (520) 621-9591
  • Email Us
  • Directory

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2023 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona.