The International Boundary Water Commission Dams Tour

The group visited two dams on the Rio Grande led by Cesar  Boisselier, Civil Engineer for the IBWC.

The dams serves to divert water, based on amounts agreed in respective treaties to Mexico and the USA.  Mr. Boisselier emphasized the importance of sharing benefits.  By working together they share the benefits of water use (there are  a large number of joint projects along the Rio Grande e.g. wastewater treatment, dams, etc. to foster joint benefits).  In terms of water use, they need to be flexible to respond to challenges/ problems i.e. drought etc.  The engineers from the two countries are in almost daily contact.

Trust between the two countries is also important.  Each country has flow meters in the other country’s diversion canal to monitor the correctness of diversions.  Data is exchanged regularly based on agreed protocols.  The engineers try to clarify any misunderstandings and only bring issues to a political level when absolutely necessary.

Two large transboundary aquifers are also in this region (under the Rio Grande and expanding into both countries.) The Hueco and the Mesilla.  Both countries are using the aquifers (El Paso gets 60 % of its municipal water from groundwater- a figure that is decreasing due to lowering water tables.) Yet there is very little information about the two aquifers (from a regional perspective) and this is not part of the IBWC’s mandate to jointly manage the aquifers.  It is difficult to now change the mandate of the IBWC to include groundwater issues (or to expand the work with the Rio Grande to reflect a basin approach.)

Lessons Learned: 

- Transparent exchange of information is essential.  Further, it is critical to develop a level of confidence between the countries so that the data provided is trusted.
- Keep issues/work as much as possible to the technical level.  As soon as it goes to the political level, it goes more complicated.
- Difficult to change an institution once it has been created. Also difficult to expand its mandate given the political process required to do so.

Blog Reporter:  Andy Garner