Hydrosystems Group conducts a successful mission to Mexico City

The Hydrosystems Research Group sent members of its Freshwater Resilience team to Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico – CDMX) for meetings with partners to advance it’s work on ongoing efforts in the Valley of Mexico.

Plaza de la Constitución, Ciudad de Mexico

June 19th through 23rd were busy weeks for advancing Freshwater Resilience in the Valley of Mexico.  Casey Brown, Sarah Freeman, Patrick Ray, and Alec Bernstein traveled to Mexico to meet with partners at the World Bank and others, as well as participate in a workshop with the Lerma-Chapala Basin Commission.

Casey Brown Speaking at the Lerma-Chapala Basin June 20, 2017

The Hydrosystems Group was part of a workshop for collaborative management in the Lerma-Chapala Basin.  The Lerma Basin forms a crucial part of Mexico City’s overall water supply, and is one of two main inter-basin transfer projects.  Casey Brown presented on the group’s ongoing work for CDMX and led a discussion with water managers and basin stakeholders.

The Lerma workshop was just the start of a busy week for the Hydrosystems Group, who also met with the managers of SACMEX (Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México) and CONAGUA to discuss results from modeling work on the Cutzamala water supply system and ongoing work on the urban water supply network within CDMX.  Managers were open and engaged in the group’s presentations and were helpful with data requests for specific system data held by these organizations.  The HRG members also met with researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to learn about the ongoing research in the city water balance.

Throughout the week, the HRG team worked closely with partners at the World Bank and Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities – CDMX office.  These partners are invaluable resources to the group and provide boots on the ground for continued engagement when the HRG is not present.

Throughout the week, it became apparent that the HRG will need to return to CDMX in the next few months to continue engagement with SACMEX and the Lerma Basin commission.  A small working group with SACMEX is crucial to develop appropriate metrics for success and to ensure that the HRG’s modeling framework aligns with SACMEX’s vision.  As the HRG embarks on modeling work in the Lerma basin, working closely with the Lerma Basin commission early on in the process is important to forge relationships with stakeholders and water users throughout the basin.  This collaboration is critical for information gathering and to ensure appropriate metrics are analyzed during the modeling process.

This mission was a success.  A busy week filled with meetings was a perfect catalyst to continue engagement in Mexico City during the summer months.  More specific meetings will be scheduled for the next few months to continue close collaboration with the partners in Mexico.