As
part
of
the
Water
Institute's
WaterTalks
lecture
series,
Debora
Van
Nijnatten,
professor
of
Political
Science
and
North
American
Studies
at
Wilfrid
Laurier
University,
presents,
"Water
management
in
the
US-Mexico
Rio
Grande
Region:
Applying
governance
indicators
to
the
surface
water-groundwater
conundrum."
More information
Despite considerable effort, the governance system in the Rio Grande/Bravo basin is not able to meet the water demands generated by intensive agricultural operations, growing urban populations and industrial activities. The binational regime allocates surface waters but has relatively few mechanisms for regulating the intensive use of groundwater resources on both sides of the border. Yet, warmer conditions due to climate change are likely to further constrain surface waters, lessen natural groundwater recharge and incentivize increased pumping. This lecture examines the capacity of the transboundary water governance architecture to adapt and respond to these challenges, in particular reflecting on how water governance indicators can serve as a diagnostic tool to locate governance gaps and uncover possibilities for integrated surface water-groundwater governance on the Rio Grande/Bravo.
Speaker bio
The University of Waterloo is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities who are visiting, studying or working at Waterloo. If you have questions concerning access or wish to request accommodations for this event, please contact Allie Dusome (adusome@uwaterloo.ca)