USING MENTORSHIP AND INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFER STUDIES, PASO DEL NORTE AREA, USA AND MEXICO

The NM Water Resources Research Institute in cooperation with Centro de Información Geográfica, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez is currently developing hydrogreologic models for the Paso del Norte area of the USA-Mexico Border region, which includes parts of Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Chihuahua. This binational effort, involving governmental and academic entities, has resulted in the development of GIS coverages that combine hydrogeologic data on basin-fill aquifers in the transboundary region and project reports that describe the hydrogeologic framework of major aquifer systems.

GIS coverages were created using ESRI ArcGIS® and ERDAS Imagine® software. The use of GIS technology allows for the integration of surface and subsurface data, which can be used in numerical groundwater-flow modeling and geochemical-system interpretations, to create a 3-D representation of the groundwater basin. The classification of mapping units for the surface and sub-surface geology was modified within the GIS to create a hydrogeologic framework model for the basin. Emphasis of recent work is on the Mesilla-Hueco Bolson area, which includes the heavily urbanized, Las Cruces (NM) - El Paso (TX) - Ciudad Juarez (CH) reach of the Rio Grande Valley (est. pop. ~2 million).

The method behind the success of these recent transboundary projects has seen the development of relationship through the mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students from Mexico that are attending universities here in the United States. Many of the Mexican graduate students have ties to governmental agencies and or universities in Mexico, making them an ideal candidate to bridge the gap across the border. The mentorship process also works well locally. Undergraduate and graduate students can have internships with local, state, and federal agencies. Through these internships we have developed relationships with key agency personnel.