News Archive -2011
14th World Lake Conference in Austin, TX from 31 October – 4 November 2011
The focus of the conference, titled Lakes, Rivers, Groundwater, and Coastal Areas: Understanding Linkages, is on lake and reservoir systems and their hydrological linkages to upstream and downstream river systems. Organizers have designed the conference to provide an interactive international forum for the exchange of knowledge and experiences related to lakes and the water systems that support them.
Video – “Water Scarcity in New Mexico”
by Jared Andersen from KRWG. It contains footage of NMSU and NSF EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) student participation in measuring flows in Rio Hondo in northern New Mexico. Also, there is an interview with one of our collaborators, former Taos county agent Rey Torres. Several participants of the Coupled Natural & Human Systems (CNH) group were also interviewed along with people from different institutions regarding water scarcity issues in New Mexico. The link to watch the video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HIHJ3elW98&feature=channel_video_title
The Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program
is congressionally authorized to conduct binational scientific research to access systematically priority transboundary aquifers in the border region. Investigations are being conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and border Water Resources Research Institutes in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and in collaboration with appropriate state agencies, stakeholders, Mexican counterparts, and the International Boundary and Water Commission. A report has been prepared by the USGS.; Texas AgriLife Research, Texas A&M System; New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute; National Water Commission, Geological Service, Mexico; and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), U.S. and Mexico. The report entitled Hydrogeological Activities in the Conejos-Medanos/Mesilla Basin Aquifer, Chihuahua, Phase I and accompanying Appendices are available online.
The IBWC-U.S. Section currently is preparing a webpage for the program, which will post these and future reports.
New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
has published an interesting article on a Sacramento Mountains Hydrogeology Study: How Geology and Climate Affect our Water Resources. Follow the link http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/periodicals/earthmatters/11/EMV11N1.pdf to view the article.
Water Resources Competitive Grant Program FY 2011
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers requests proposals for grants to support applied investigations in select topic areas. Proposals may request up to $200,000 in federal funds for projects that will conclude with a final paper by August 1, 2013. Up to four awards are expected to be made and there is no matching funds requirement for these awards. Awards will be made to Water Resources Research Institutes so please contact NMWRRI Director Sam Fernald (575-646-4337; fernald@ad.nmsu.edu) as soon as possible if you are interested in this opportunity. Deadline is August 1, 2011.
Erin Ward’s retirement reception to be held Friday, May 6, 2011.
The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute will host a retirement reception for Erin Ward from 3-4:30 p.m. at the institute (Stucky Hall on Espina Street at NMSU). Erin retired April 30 after 17 years of continuous service to NMSU, culminating with the title of director of border projects within the Water Resources Research Institute. A brief presentation will begin at 3:15 p.m. For more information call Annette at 575-646-4337.
NMSU’s Spring 2011 Water Lecture Series, March 2, 2011. Lecture by Dr. Zohrab Samani , a professor of civil engineering in the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University. Dr. Samani’s lecture will take place at 3:00 p.m. on main campus in Wooten Hall, Room 105. Topic: “Rebuilding Afghanistan: One Stone at a Time.”
New Mexico State University’s Spring 2011 Water Lecture Series will begin Feb. 17 with Jay Stein , a water lawyer from Stein and Brockman, P.A., in Santa Fe, NM. His lecture will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the Gerald Thomas Hall Auditorium, Room 194. Stein will speak about water rights administration on the Rio Grande, particularly how municipalities, irrigators, Native American tribes and others own certain rights and how those rights are exercised and administered in accordance with state and federal law. The use of imported water under the San Juan-Chama Project will also be examined.
WRRI Interim Director Appointed: Dr. Alexander G. “Sam” Fernald assumed duties of director on January 01, 2011.
Estimating Water Use Through Satellite Remote Sensing by Aldo R. Piñón-Villarreal, Zohrab A. Samani, A. Salim Bawazir, Max P. Bleiweiss, Rhonda Skaggs, and Vien T. Tran is now available online.
The 56th Annual New Mexico Water Conference
will be held this year in Alamogordo, NM on December 13-14, 2011. The title of the conference is “New Water New Energy: A Conference Linking Desalination and Renewable Energy.” To register for the conference please follow this link: http://wrri.research.nmsu.edu