Sul Ross State University
A Member of the Texas State University System

Scope

The major objective of the SAWC Research Project is the creation of a basin-wide perspective for integrated management and sustainable use of the water resources of the Rio Grande throughout its drainage basin.

A comprehensive management program for this important transboundary water system would consider how elements, such as the use of groundwater and surface water resources for agriculture and other purposes, land use and vegetative cover throughout the drainage basin, and the biological, chemical and hydrological aspects of the river itself, are linked and interacting.

Developing this perspective in a practical framework requires the diverse, interdisciplinary skills available within the universities comprising the Texas State University System, as well as partnerships with relevant institutions in Mexico.

This project will include identification, compilation, screening, and analysis of relevant data and information from throughout the Rio Grande basin. These data include quantitative and qualitative information on the sources, quality and uses of water throughout the basin (including that required for human needs and for maintaining the basin's aquatic ecosystems), the multiple uses to which this water is being put, the hydrologic linkages between surface waters and groundwater, and the implications of these data on the sustainable use of the Rio Grande.

The primary water use throughout the basin is irrigated agriculture. Accordingly, the project elements will include the identification and analysis of alternative technologies and methodologies for increasing water use efficiency in agricultural irrigation practices, as well as the utility of alternative incentives for water reuse or conservation, and the possibilities for increasing water use efficiency in urban areas.