Wednesday, April 2, 2008 : 9:40 a.m.
Transboundary Aquifers of the AmericasProgram—U.S.-Mexico Border
To facilitate an integrated approach to transboundary ground-water resources worldwide, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) implemented the Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management (ISARM) initiative. The ISARM of the Americas Program is the regional initiative for the American hemisphere of the worldwide ISARM Program and is jointly coordinated by the UNESCO International Hydrological Program and the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States. The ISARM of the Americas Program was initiated in 2002. Participation in the initiative has been strong with more than 20 countries participating. The objective of the ISARM of the Americas Program is to create a comprehensive inventory of transboundary aquifers of the western hemisphere. On the U.S.-Mexico border, the U.S. Geological Survey has been the lead for the United States , and the National Water Commission has been the lead for Mexico . U.S. and Mexican representatives have worked together to develop maps, generalized geologic sections, and narrative descriptions for 10 U.S.-Mexico transboundary aquifers. Narratives include information regarding hydrogeologic characteristics of aquifers and the use of the shared ground waters. The initial product of the inventory, released in September 2007, is a report titled “Preliminary Evaluation; Transboundary Aquifer Systems of the Americas .” Future updates to the inventory will address additional U.S.-Mexico transboundary aquifers and add details and updates for the aquifers addressed in the first report.
Jim Stefanov, U.S. Geological Survey WRD Jim Stefanov is the Deputy Director of the USGS Texas Water Science Center in Austin, Texas. Prior to joining the USGS in 2004, he served as Chief of the Technical Planning Division for the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) in El Paso, Texas where he dealt extensively with U.S.-Mexico border transboundary issues. Jim is a Registered Professional Geologist and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geology from Illinois State University and Fort Hays State University, respectively.