WRRC Staff Member Highlights Shared Groundwater at Binational Science Talk
On August 27, WRRC Associate in Extension Elia Tapia participated in the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters (PFBW) Science Talk, Tributaries of the Rio Grande and the Colorado River Basins: The Role of Groundwater. The Forum works to improve water and environmental resilience in border communities through scientific research, communication, and education. Its Science Talks initiative provides a platform for sharing current water research and encouraging collaboration. The August 27 discussion was moderated by Samuel Sandoval Solis (UC Davis) and, along with Tapia, featured Kevin Urbanczyk (Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water), Karem Abdelmohsen (Arizona State University), and Jeff Bennett (American Bird Conservancy).
Tapia focused on the transboundary Santa Cruz River and its connection with the transboundary Santa Cruz Aquifer. The Santa Cruz River, a tributary of the Gila River, which flows into the Colorado River, starts in southern Arizona, flows south into Mexico, then turns and flows north back into Arizona. Drawing from research conducted through the US-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP), she shared findings on how river and tributary flows contribute to aquifer recharge and how hydrologic conditions influence groundwater availability.
Her presentation emphasized the value of including groundwater in broader discussions about shared water resources and the importance of sound science to support informed decision-making. Understanding surface-water and groundwater connections can provide decision-makers with information to support future water-resource planning and decision-making. She highlighted TAAP’s role in building a shared scientific foundation through data collection and harmonization, information exchange, and binational scientific collaboration.