About Me
Rosario Sanchez, PHD
Dr. Rosario Sanchez Flores is a Senior Research Scientist at the Texas Water Resources Institute at Texas A&M University and Associate Graduate Faculty of the Water Management and Hydrological Sciences Program. She is Co-Chair of the Transboundary Aquifers Commission of the International Association of Hydrogeologists and Director of the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters. She is the PI of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act program for the state of Texas, and she leads the transboundary groundwater research team with 25 years of academic and work experience on transboundary issues between Mexico and the United States.
(a)Professional Qualifications
Monterrey Tech International Relations B.S. 1998
Matias Romero Institute Diplomatic Studies M.S 2000
Texas A&M University Water Mgmt& Hydrological Science Ph.D. 2009
(b)Appointments
June 2016 –Present Senior Research Scientist, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M University. College Station
Nov 2014 to date Associate Graduate Faculty, Water Management and Hydrological Science Program, Texas A&M University, College Station
Nov 2017 to date Lead (PI) Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP), Lead for the State of Texas, College Station, San Antonio and El Paso Offices, TX
Nov 2016 to date Director, Transboundary Water Portal Hub (Texas AgriLife Research and Mexican Institute of Water Technology), College Station, TX
Nov 2020 to date Executive Director, Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, San Antonio, TX
(c)Selected Publications
Sanchez R. (2022). What’s next? Managing transboundary groundwater: who, when, how much and for how long? Article. Global WaterForum. (link)
Sanchez, R., Breña-Naranjo, J. A., Rivera, A., Hanson, R. T., Hernández-Espriú, A., Hogeboom, R. J., Milman, A., Benavides, J.A., Pedrozo-Acuña, A., Soriano-Monzalvo, J.C., Megdal, S.B., Eckstein, G. & Rodriguez, L. (2021). Binational reflections on pathways to groundwater security in the Mexico–United States borderlands. Water International, 1-20. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3985514
Sanchez, R., Rodriguez, L. (2021). Transboundary Aquifers between Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico, and California, Arizona and New Mexico, United States: Identification and Categorization. Water 13, no. 20: 2878. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202878
Sanchez, R.,& Eckstein, G. (2020). Groundwater management in the borderlands of Mexico and Texas: The beauty of the unknown, the negligence of the present, and the way forward. Water Resources Research, 56, e2019WR026068. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026068
Sanchez, R., Rodriguez, L., &Tortajada, C. (2020). Effective Transboundary Aquifer Areas: An Approach for Transboundary Groundwater Management. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 1– 19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12836.
Sanchez R, Eckstein G. (2019). The path towards groundwater management in the borderlands of Mexico and Texas. WIREs Water. 2019, 399.
Sanchez, R. (2019) Transboundary Groundwater Resources along the Texas-Mexico Border. White Paper Prepared by the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee (TGPC) Groundwater Issues (GWI) Subcommittee
Sanchez, R., Rodriguez, L., Tortajada, Cecilia (2018). The transboundariness approach and prioritization of transboundary aquifers between Mexico and Texas, AMBIO. DOI 10.1007/s13280-018-1015-1
Sanchez, R., Rodriguez, L., Tortajada, Cecilia (2018). Transboundary aquifers between Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Texas, USA: Identification and categorization.Journal of Hydrology, Regional Studies, Special Edition on Transboundary Aquifers.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.04.004
Sanchez, R., (2018). Transboundariness, or, the End of Aquifer Boundaries as We Know Them. IMPACT. American Water Resources Association. May 2018, Vol. 20. No 3.
Sanchez, R. & Eckstein, G. (2017). Aquifers Shared Between Mexico and the United States: Management Perspectives and Their Transboundary Nature: Groundwater, April 2017, DOI: 10.1111/gwat.12533
Sanchez, R. (2018). Book review: The International Law of Transboundary Groundwater Resources. Texas Water Journal. March 13, 2018. Vol. 9.
Sanchez R, Lopez V, Eckstein, G (2016) “Identifying and Characterizing Transboundary Aquifers Along the Mexico-US Border: An initial assessment’. Journal of Hydrology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.01.070).
Khedun CP, Sanchez R,Rughoonundun H. Kaiser R.A (2014). World Water Supply and Use: Challenges for the Future, Chapter 83. Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems (AGRI). Elsevier.
Sanchez, R.& Kaiser, R.A. (2011). Multilateral Cooperation: Water as a Tool Not as a Goal. Journal of the International Relations and Affairs Group (JIRAG), 1(1), 75-91.
Khedun CP, Sanchez R, Giardino RJ (2009), Climate Change and Transboundary Water Resources, Water Resources IMPACT, Vol 11, No 2.
Sanchez R, Kaiser RA, Giardino JR (2010), Water Planning under a non-sustainable condition: Challenges for the Laguna region, Mexico. Paper to be presented at the ASCE-EWRI Conference, Providence, Rhode Island, May 2010. American Society of Civil Engineers.
Sanchez-Flores R, Conner, A,Kaiser RA (2016). “The Regulatory Framework of Reclaimed Wastewater for Potable Reuse in the United States”. International Journal of Water Resources Development. DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2015.1129318.
Official Reports to Federal/State Institutions
White Paper prepared for the Texas Groundwater Protection Sub-Committee (2019). Transboundary Groundwater Resources along the Texas-Mexico Border. Published on January 2019 (English and Spanish).
White Paper prepared for the International Boundary and Water Commission (2021). Water Management on the U.S-Mexico Border: Achieving Water Sustainability and Resilience Through Cross-Border Cooperation. February 2021.
Synergistic and ProjectActivities
2020 Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, Director
Programs developed: Coffee Breaks, Science Talks, Women In Science, Open Mic, Stand Up, Binational archive, Binational Groundwater Task Force, Advising Program, Binational Learning Hub, Fundraising and Sponsorship program, Volunteers Program, Myth Busters Series.
2020 Transboundary Aquifers between Mexico and the United States Conference: Innovation for Unprecedented Challenges, Executive Chair
2021 IWRA 50th Anniversary Task Force, Member
2020 Hueco-Bolson Games Theory Field and Stakeholders Assessment, Committee Advisor
2019 CREST Center for Sustainable Water Use (CREST-SWU), Texas A&M University-Kingsville to the NSF 18-509 CREST program. Advisory Committee Member
2019 Selected one of the 50th most influential women in the State of Coahuila (link)
2018 Afghanistan Water Council, Advisor
2016 Transboundary Waters Portal Hub, Director
2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Texas AgriLife Research and Institute of Water Technology (IMTA)
2009 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the State of Coahuila and the University of North Texas, which included: student exchange, joint academic research and conferences and exchange of publications. Coahuila Liaison.
2008 30,000 USD Coahuila State Grant for the Binational Project between Texas A&M University and the State of Coahuila, Mexico. Research project: Assessing the Impacts of Climate Variability on the Water Resources in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo del Norte Basin (delivered).
2008 First Binational Water Congress, Saltillo, Coahuila (1,000 Academics and officials of Texas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Sonora participated), General Director.
2004 Agreement for Regional Progress (signed by the states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Texas). Mexican side Liaison.
Funding/Management Activities
2022 NadBank Water Quality Assessment Impact Study (85,000)
2021 Simsboro Aquifer study on contaminant transport and feasibility study (100,000 USD Vice Provost Office Exceptional Funds).
2016 Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP), 5 year grant funding for the States of NewMexico, Arizona and Texas (1 Million per 5 years)
2003 3,000 USD CUAHSI (Universities Allied for Research) Challenge Grant for a Let’s Talk About Water event.
2013 Two Bridge to Doctorate LSAMP Fellowship for M.S students (60,000 USD).
Selected Presentations (last 2 years)
2022 University of Notre Dame, College of Engineering, Hydrogeology Department Seminar Series: Transboundary water cooperation and the “baking a cake metaphor”.
2022 International Water Resources Association (IWRA)-World Water Day “Future Gazing: Groundwater Action as Climate Action”, Panelist speaker (link)
2022 American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Webinar: Transboundary Aquifers between Mexico and the US: the Complete Picture (link)
Science and Policy Interphase in the TBA context (Panel 2)
2021 3/ Panelist, speaker, rapporteur, closing remarks (link)
2021 A Game Based Simulation of Negotiations over Transboundary River-Aquifer Webinars, Round 1 and Round 2. Representative of “Hillistan”(simulated country). Hosted by UNESCO, IWMI, GRIPP, IAH, MEWF (virtual).(link)
2021 Rio Grande Basin, Blue Peace Index Workshop for young professionals, Featured Speaker, WYPW, North America
2021 First Generation: EspecializacionenAguasSubterráneas, UNAM College of Hydrogeology, Keynote speaker
2021 Forum: Mujer y Recursos Hidricos: Inclusion, Contribución y Retos. Asociación Geo-hidrológica Mexicana (Women’s Day)
2020 Transboundary Aquifers Between Mexico and the United States: the beauty of the unknown, the negligence of the present and the way forward. Food Security in the Americas Series: Water Challenges on the U.S. Mexico Border. David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University.
2020 Talk+Water Podcast: Border Water Issues (link)
2020 Innovation and Creativity: Strategies for Unprecedented Challenges (2 Day Binational Conference), Chair of the Conference.
2019 Congreso Nacional de AguasSubterráneas, Guanajuato (Annual Conference of Hydrogeology): Transboundary Aquifers Panel
2019 International Association of Hydrogeologists Annual Conference: “Surveying groundwater stakeholders on Mexico/US Mexico border” (Day 1) and “Effective Transboundary Aquifer Areas as New Alternative to Transboundary Aquifer Management” Day 2, Malaga, Spain.
2019 Water Security Week organized by the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA-UNESCO Initiative).Presentation, Water Security in the border between Mexico and the United States. Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Professional and Editorial Associations
International Water Resources Association Full member
American Water Resources Association Full member
International Association of Hydrogeologists Full Member
Commission of Transboundary Aquifers of IAH Co-Chair
Journal of the American Water Resources Association Associate Editor
Texas Water Journal Associate Editor
ISARM-UNESCO, Technical Committee Full member
UNESCO 2022 Transboundary Aquifers publication Editor
Groundwater Resources Protection Committee Full Member
(Texas Commission of Environmental Quality)