The ecological, economic, and social effects of groundwater depletion currently taking place in the Ojos Negros valley in Baja California, about 80 km South of the U.S.-Mexico border, will be studied. The importance of the valley as a major regional economic resource with significant transborder effects is widely recognized.

The comprehensive interdisciplinary study will support effective action to redirect the Ojos Negros valley along the path of sustainable development. The study will document the ecological, economic, social, and institutional dynamics that could be attributed to groundwater overexploitation and will evaluate hydrologic, hydrogeologic, and economic parameters in order to determine an optimum yield on which to base a sustainable policy. Existing data will be collected in Mexicali, Ensenada, and Ojos Negros, and new data will be gathered in the field.

The research methodology will implement interdisciplinary synthesis, encompassing the fields of climatology, hydrogeology, soil science, vegetation science, watershed management, agricultural economics, and rural sociology. The research team consists of seven experienced professionals from the United States and Mexico. Precipitation and temperature data will be analyzed to identify discernible changes in the time series. The soil profile at several sampling locations will be examined in search of clues to reveal desiccation and loss of organic matter content due to intense agricultural activity. Photointerpretation and remote sensing will be used to determine vegetation changes between the imagery dates. An economic analysis will search for evidence that net profit per unit area is decreasing due to increasing costs associated with pumping from ever increasing depths. A sociological study will determine attitudes toward groundwater exploitation and sustainable management. A groundwater model will be used to determine an optimum sustainable yield which can be related to ecological and economic constraints. The groundwater model will be coupled with a GIS, so that results can be readily understood and appreciated by laypersons.

The study outcome will outline appropriate corrective strategies to redirect the Ojos Negros valley along the path of sustainable development. The study will promote a more effective and efficient use of groundwater. This goal fits very well within the Border XXI Program objectives.