Applied and Theoretical Aspects of Binational Watershed Councils (Consejos De Cuencas) in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands

Abstract

Binational watershed councils or consejos de cuencas can provide considerable insight into water resource management challenges associated with the increasing levels of industrialization and urbanization that the U.S.-Mexico border has experienced during the last 30 years. This development along the border has occurred within binational conurbations known as "twin cities" that are located either within or immediately adjacent to binational watersheds. Border scholars and a limited number of policy analysts working within government have advanced bio-regional and watershed approaches to water quality issues as a framework to explore the manner by which water resources are used and degraded through urbanization and industrialization. Watershed councils or consejos de cuencas are a type of institutional framework for addressing these issues; specifically, consejos are a tool developed in Mexico through la Ley de Aguas Nacionales (LAN, or Mexico's Law of National Waters) for exploring a wide range of water resource issues. These councils, or consejos, are presently domestic Mexican institutions, with no transboundary or international experience. In this article, we introduce our region of investigation and review some initial research into consejos in two binational watersheds. We then explore the value of two theoretical policy frameworks advanced by policy researchers for understanding the policy dilemmas and the potential for adopting consejos de cuencas as binational water resource management frameworks. We integrate useful insights from our experience exploring consejos de cuencas in the Tijuana River and the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basins to explore how specific policy options can be advanced within a watershed framework.