Transboundary Water Security in North America: Surface and Groundwater Issues between USA, Canada, and Mexico

Presentation 1. Water in North America: Surface and Groundwater Issues Between Canada and the USA

Presented by Dr. Alfonso Rivera

There are more than 300 watersheds, and at least 10 transboundary aquifers, identified along the 8800-km long Canada/US border, with over 20 million Canadians living in those watersheds. However, contrary to the southern US/Mexico border, there is no water scarcity on the northern border. Water security is not about scarcity, rather it is about challenges in the water linkages with food, energy, climate, and economic growth. The decentralized nature of the governments of both countries, the states, and the provinces located along the border, make it difficult to stablish a full binational shared governance on water resources.

Presentation 2. Water in North America: Surface and groundwater issues between the USA and Mexico

Presented by Dr. Rosario Sanchez

The international basins between Mexico and the United States are experiencing a permanent condition of water scarcity. The Rio Colorado and the Rio Grande are amongst the most water stressed basins in the world and projections on water availability do not seem to be favorable for the projected population growth and water demands in the border region. There is an urgent need to incorporate integrated water management approaches at binational scale as well as to reconsider the strategic value of the border region as one of the wealthiest economies in the world.