Researchers from around the world will meet in Corbett Center Student Union today and Friday to discuss similarities between the Rio Grande and the Jordan River in an effort to learn how to better conserve water.
Because the southwestern United States, northern Mexico and the Middle East have similar climates and are each in need of water resources, groups such as the New Mexico Water Research Institute, the NMSU International Relations Insitutute and experts from Mexico and the Middle East will gather to learn from each other's research.
NMSU associate professor of geography Christopher Brown said there are multiple demands on the Rio Grande that generate friction.
"Rio Grande water is used by Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. Although most of the water is used for agriculture, the river is 100 percent allocated, meaning people own all rights to the water," Brown said.
Water quality of the Rio Grande is an issue. Brown said all sewage treatment plants run into the river.
The Jordan River provides water for Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan.
Sixteen experts on water issues will speak at the conference. Problems being discussed will include population along the rivers, water quality and limited supplies.
Speakers include former U.S. Ambassador Qatar Kenton Keith, who will speak of demographics in the Jordan River region, and Jean Parcher of the U.S. Geological Survey Mid-Continent Geographic Science Center in Austin, Texas who will give an overview of the Rio Grande watershed.
Brown said that although there have been many conferences concerning the Rio Grande, to the best of his knowledge, this is the first to compare the two rivers.
"The beauty of the conference is it provides opportunities to learn about their watershed and for them to learn about our watershed," Brown said. "It will be very interesting to people who live here to hear people of Israel and Palestine come here and learn from them."
Brown said the meeting and water research done by groups such as the New Mexico Water Research Institute is vital to helping the state and NMSU as research continues.
Brown, who has conducted research on water resources and border security issues, is the director of Spatial Applications Research Center at NMSU, and is on a science advisory board for the Rio Grande composed of researchers from NMSU and UNM.
"It is exactly the kind of research effort NMSU should support," Brown said. "It is very important to national and international research at NMSU."
"This conference will give the university community and people in the region a wonderful opportunity to look at two different basins that share similar challenges, similar physical geographies and somewhat similar political geographies," Brown said in a press release.
While NMSU seeks international research, state representative Paul Bandy and the state's Water and Natural Resource Committee have taken a step to help conserve water as well.
A bill proposed by Bandy in Dec. 2008 has been added to the 2009 New Mexico legislature in which the Water and Natural Resources Committee is asking NMSU to report any research done on water consumptive use to the state.
Be the first to comment on this article!