Transcript A System Dynamics Model of the Rio Grande Charles D

Restoration of the Rio Grande
Between El Paso, Texas and
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua
Charles D. Turner, Alfredo Martinez, and
Jessica Retana
Project Summary
• The development and assessment of scenarios
that would allow Rio Grande to remain “wet”
through the year in the El Paso, Texas and
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
• The formation of a bi-national river restoration
work group
• Provide a clear understanding of the
hydrological and engineering conditions,
institutional challenges, a biological inventory,
and GIS maps of the study area
Rio Grande /
Rio Bravo
Stream Flow
Problem Statement
• The Rio Grande has been transformed
into a highly structured channel to meet
water supply and flood control needs
• The potential impact of restoring a portion
of the Rio Grande is the reduction in the
efficiency of the existing water delivery
network
Research Questions
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What are the impacts of restoration
How to minimize those impacts
Integrate a wet Rio Grande
Impacts to existing water institutions
Conceptual Design Alternatives
Category
Description
Alternative 1
Baseline Data
Current hydrologic and engineering
structure of the Rio Grande.
Alternative 2
No intervention and
undisturbed recovery
Restore the river without including
engineering solutions to reduce the impact
to the system
Alternative 3
Engineering Design
Use of engineering solutions or structures
to mitigate potential impacts to system
Alternative 4
In-Action
Evaluate the existing system and evaluate
potential future conditions
2006 Irrigation Season
March 2006
October 2006
Mesilla Dam
March 2006
October 2006
Conclusions
• Stream flow is the result of the water
delivery network
• Design scenarios developed
– within existing river management
– with minor adjustments
– rethink some policies
• Rio Grande Restoration Committee
Acknowledgments
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Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP)
Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ)
Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM)
Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento Juarez
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) Department
Congressman Silvestre Reyes
Peter Brock, Rio Grande Watershed Federal Coordinating Committee
El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU)
El Paso Health Foundation
The City of El Paso
The City of Sunland Park
Dr. Jorge A. Salas-Plata
Dr. Rene Franco Barreno
Questions?