U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Act
Signed: 2006/12/22
Enacted: 2006/12/22
Expires: 2016/12/22
Agreement Type: law
The U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act was signed by President George W. Bush Jr. on December 22, 2006. It authorized the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with stakeholders on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border (including state governments, water utilities, etc.) in gathering important information with regards to transboundary aquifers in the region. This information included hydrologic characterization, location, size, and geologic character, recharge and flow rates, the development of hydrologic models, and mapping with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. It provided criteria for designating Priority Transboundary Aquifers, and designated four existing aquifer regions as Priority Transboundary Aquifers. It gave the Secretary the authority to allocate up to U.S. $50,000,000 toward implementation of the Act through Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Programs. This funding was also available to studies by Mexican institutions so long as the Mexican government provided 50% of the funding for the project. The Act required that the Secretary provide an interim report on the progress of the act to all affected state governments in 2011 and 2016. The authority granted to the Secretary through this act is set to expire in 2016.
Priority Transboundary Aquifers:
- The criteria for designating priority transboundary aquifers are
- proximity to areas of high population density
- likelihood of contamination
- extent or intensity of use
The priority transboundary aquifers designated in the act are
- The Hueco Bolson aquifers
- The Mesilla Basin aquifers
- The Santa Cruz River Valley aquifers
- The San Pedro aquifers
Case Studies Related to this Agreement
Articles linked to this Agreement
| Riparians | Water Features |
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Agreement includes riparian- Mexico, United States of America
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Includes Water Resource- Colorado River, Tijuana River
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| Projects and Initiatives | Agreements and Treaties |
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Previous agreement was- 1944 US-Mexico Water Treaty
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External Links
- University of Arizona on the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program — A University of Arizona Webpage describing the work of the Arizona-Sonora portion of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program
