Border Water

A report I produced in 1995 talked about needing to understand the water resources of the two-country, three-state area that is Las Cruces, El Paso, and Ciudad Juarez. The problem is that the relevant basins don't pay attention to the human-imposed political borders.
Over the weekend came the notice, via the July issue of "Divining Rod," the newsletter of the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, that the scientists don't know what is going on with the water situation in the area. The article said researchers don't know if the United States and Mexico are running out of water along the border "because little is known about the common underground basins both countries tap into." Gosh!
Without getting into the details of how long it has taken, WRRI researchers have scored $500,000 from the "United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Act" that became law in late 2006, nearly two years ago, I note. But whatever.
The articles says that El Paso expects 65,000 more residents by 2013—that's five years—due to base realignment.