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Groundwater is essential for millions living along the arid US-Mexico border, yet persistent droughts, increasing demand, and population growth continue to strain these critical resources. This WRRC Water Webinar will explore a multicriteria approach to prioritize transboundary aquifers in the Arizona-Sonora border region, leveraging publicly available data to assess which shared aquifers would benefit most from binational studies. The findings highlight key regional disparities in groundwater needs and provide a replicable framework for improving cross-border aquifer assessments.
Elia M. Tapia (Mexico) is a faculty professor at Universidad de Sonora in Hermosillo, Mexico. She holds a PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences and a Minor in Hydrology from the University of Arizona. Her expertise includes applied hydrology, hydrogeology, climate change, and disaster risk assessment. She has contributed to the US-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) and projects for private and public institutions across the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Elia has also worked with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on transboundary water initiatives, focusing on governance, stakeholder engagement, and climate resilience in water resources.