A Mexico-U.S. Partnership on Sustainable Water Resources

1. A Mexico-U.S. Partnership on Sustainable Water Resources Alex Mayer Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA Jose Luis Garcia Ruiz Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico This presentation was made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Higher Education for Development (HED) through an award to Michigan Technological University in support of the U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships (TIES) Initiative. The opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, HED, or the United States.

2. Outline • Who is involved in the partnership? • What are the goals of the partnership and what projects have been conducted to meet those goals? • What are the primary activities and accomplishment of the projects and partnership? • What has made the partnership successful? • Summary and challenges ahead

3. Geographic context Houghton, Michigan Hermosillo, Sonora http://www.zonu.com/fullsize-en/2009-09-17-322/North-America-Political-Map-1992.html

4. Partners • Primary university partners • Michigan Technological University • Universidad de Sonora (UNISON) • Other partners • Secretaría de Desarrollo Social • Municipio de Rosario de Tesopaco • ComisionNacional de Agua (CoNAgua) • Colegio de Sonora

5. Funders • USAID/Higher Education in Development • U.S. Department of Education, Secretaría de Educación Pública, Human Resources & Skills Development Canada • Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología • National Science Foundation • Fulbright Program

6. Overall goals of partnership: • Offer opportunities for Mexican and U.S. students to learn about water issues. • Build capacity to solve water and sanitation problems in Sonora state.

7. Funded projects • Training a New Generation of Water Resource Experts (2003-2007) • AQUA3: North American Alliance for Sustainable Water Resources (2000-2004) • ExCit: Expanding Cities: People, Water and Infrastructure (2005-2009) • SustR: Sustainable Rural Communities (2009-2013)

8. Activities and accomplishments • MS and PhD Graduate degrees for Sonoran students • Determining the true cost of water use in the automotive production industry • Sustainable water resource management plan for the Yaqui River basin • Analysis of drought frequency and predictions for Sonora

9. Activities and accomplishments • MS and PhD Graduate degrees for Sonoran students • Environmental challenges in rural communities: A case study in Rosario de Tesopaco • Integrated analysis of wastewater contamination in the Rio Sonora basin

10. Activities and accomplishments • Graduate theses at Michigan Tech • Economic valuation of environmental services sustained by flows in Yaqui River delta • Role of women in household water use in a Yaqui Indian community • Sustainable water resources management plan for the Yaqui River basin

11. Activities and accomplishments • Applied projects • Design and construction of a constructed wetland in Rosario de Tesopaco • Design and construction of a solid waste management plan for Rosario de Tesopaco • Both projects emanated from Michigan Tech design classes involving Peace Corps students

12. Activities and accomplishments • Student exchanges • More than 40 students have spent semesters at U.S. and Mexican universities. • More than 100 students have participated in short-term, intensive field courses in Mexico or the United States. • New course and several course modules have been developed.

13. Activities and accomplishments • New National Science Foundation project: “Sustainable Water Resources for Communities under Climate Change: Can State-of-the-Art Forecasting Inform Decision-Making in Data Sparse Regions?”

14. Why is this partnership successful? • The partnership has had consistent faculty and administrative champions.

15. Why is this partnership successful? • Partnership projects • are inter-disciplinary • involve community-agency-university collaborations; • stress community-level involvement.

16. Why is this partnership successful? • Participating universities have supported new projects that are outgrowths of initial projects, via • faculty and graduate research and teaching interest; • in-kind support and administrative assistance; and • connections to government agencies.

17. Why is this partnership successful? • Level of faculty and student involvement has been significant: • 100s of undergraduate students • dozens of graduate students • dozens of faculty

18. Why is this partnership successful? • Partnership has resonated with university strategic goals: • increasing international opportunities for students and faculty • publications in peer-reviewed literature • external funding • increasing faculty capacity • enhanced community outreach

19. Why is this partnership successful? • Participating agencies, especially SEDESOL, have continued to provide new projects, guidance, and support. • Funding agencies have expressed interest and nurtured the projects.

20. Summary • Partnerships are hard work! • finding the right people who share goals and are well connected • developing and maintaining trust among the partners • working within administrative constraints • understanding the needs of local communities, state and federal agencies • recruiting students • chasing funding • But the rewards are worth it.

21. Challenges ahead • Faculty involvement: exhaustion and retirement • Student recruitment: U.S. press coverage of Mexico has scared away students • Funding: where will the next funding come from?